■'M--4 


I  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,! 
Princeton,  N.J./. -^5  | 

From  the  PUBLISHER.        *} "V     ^ 


Book, 


8V 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY; 


THE    CONNEXION 


EXPERIMENTAL   AND  PRACTICAL  RELIGION. 


DESIGNED     FOR    YOUNG    CHRISTIANS. 


BY  THE 

REV.    E.    MANNERING, 

OF  HOLYWELL  MOUNT  CHAPEL. 


"He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him,  ought  himself  also  so  to  walk 
even  as  he  walked."—!  John  ii.  6. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION   OF   TRACTS  AND 
SABBATH    SCHOOL   BOOKS. 

WILLIAM    S.    MARTIEN,    GENERAL    AGENT. 

1839. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Advertisement. v 

Dedication ix 

CHAPTER  I. 

General  Observations  on  Experimental  and  Practical 
Religion 19 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Nature  of  the  Christian's  Walk 33 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Importance  of  the  Christian's  Walk 44 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Doctrines  of  the  Gospel  adorned  by  Christian 
Consistency 54 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  order  of  Divine  Communications  to  the  Souls  of 
Men,  and  the  use  to  be  made  of  the  Word  of  God.  .     73 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Blessings  to  be  realized,  and  the  means  of  obtaining 
them 87 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Christian's  desire  to  walk  in  God's  Statutes.  .    .  100 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Rules  to  be  observed  for  the  promotion  of  Soul  Pros- 
perity  , 109 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Christian,  by  abiding  in  Christ,  is  supplied  with 
influence  and  strength  for  the  discharge  of  his  Obli- 
gations  127 

CHAPTER  X. 

Abiding  in  Christ  secured  by  Divine  teaching.     .     .164 
CHAPTER  XI. 

Indications  of  Character,  and  Exhortations  to  Con- 
sistency  184 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Appeals  and  Invitations  to  timid  and  doubting  Chris- 
tians  214 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  Author  of  this  small  volume  has  for 
some  time  past  been  convinced  that  the  sub- 
ject of  which  it  treats,  is,  even  by  a  certain 
class  of  pious  people,  misunderstood  and  neg- 
lected. He  feels  desirous,  therefore,  of  calling 
their  attention  to  first  principles,  and  of  re- 
minding them  of  the  connexion  between  expe- 
rimental and  practical  religion;  with  a  special 
reference,  however,  to  the  welfare  of  young 
Christians. 

First  impressions  are,  generally,  powerful 
and  abiding;  and  much  of  the  Christian's  hap- 
piness or  sorrow,  through  life,  depends  upon 
the  direction  which  his  judgment  and  heart 
may  receive  immediately  after  conversion. 
He  who  starts  well,  is  likely  to  run  well;  and 
although  none  are  safe  but  those  whom  the 
3* 


VI  ADVERTISEMENT. 

Lord  keeps,  yet  many  Christians  regret  the 
bias  which  early  associations  gave  to  their 
thoughts  and  feelings,  and  find,  as  they  ad- 
vance to  maturity,  that  they  have  much  to  un- 
learn. 

Nothing,  then,  can  be  of  greater  importance, 
than  the  formation  of  religious  character.  As 
the  health  and  morals  of  many  a  child  have 
been  ruined  by  unsound  discipline;  so  the 
growth  of  many  a  babe  in  Christ  has  been  re- 
tarded, and  the  vigour  of  his  spiritual  constitu- 
tion impaired,  as  well  by  the  unwholesome 
moral  aliment  he  has  eaten,  as  by  the  habits 
into  which  early  training  induced  him  to  set- 
tle down. 

The  Author,  happily  for  him,  has  a  consi- 
derable number  of  youthful  converts  under  his 
Pastoral  superintendence,  for  whose  steadfast- 
ness in  the  faith,  and  usefulness  in  the  church, 
he  feels  deeply  interested;  and  while  he 
watches,  with  considerable  anxiety,  the  de- 
velopment of  their  characters,  he  is  concern- 
ed that  their  first  movements  should  be  made 
under  the  counsel  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  by  the 
admonitions  of  the  Divine  Word.  He  has, 
therefore,  attempted  to  collect  from  the  Holy 


ADVERTISEMENT.  VII 

Scriptures  some  information,  which,  in  this 
digested  form,  he  hopes  may  prove  useful  to 
the  lambs  of  his  own  flock,  in  particular;  and 
to  young  disciples  of  the  Holy  Saviour,  in 
general. 

And  if  any  of  the  inconsistencies  of  Chris- 
tians, further  advanced  in  the  Divine  life, 
should,  also,  be  corrected — for  admonitions  to 
the  young  are  sometimes  beneficial  to  the 
aged — the  Author's  reward  will  be  ample; 
and  he  shall  rejoice  with  them  in  giving  glory 
to  the  Divine  Spirit,  u  from  whom  all  holy 
desires,  all  good  counsels,  and  all  just  works 
do  proceed." 


TO  YOUNG  CHRISTIANS. 


My  dear  young  friends, 

Your  claims,  on  the  care  of  those  accus- 
tomed to  think  for  eternity,  are  numerous  and 
pressing;  and  whatever  subjects  may  occupy 
their  attention,  or  however  powerfully  passing 
events  may  plead  for  their  consecration  to 
some  grand  and  awakening  enterprise,  they 
cannot  neglect  your  spiritual  interests,  nor 
abandon  them  to  the  control  of  casual  circum- 
stances. 

We  hold  no  fellowship  with  those  who  at- 
tempt to  justify  inattention  to  the  culture  of 
youthful  minds,  and  who,  though  they  boast 
of  their  advancement  in  Biblical  science,  re- 
fuse the  legitimate  application  of  its  principles 
to  practical  purposes.     Why  has  God  given  to 


X  TO  YOUNG  CHRISTIANS. 

us  the  word  of  reconciliation,  and  made  that 
word  effectual  to  our  conversion?  but  that, 
having  received  mercy  ourselves,  we  should 
be  instrumental  in  conveying  that  mercy  to 
others. 

In  reading  the  following  pages,  you  will,  I 
hope,  bear  in  mind  that  they  were  written  for 
your  "  instruction  in  righteousness;"  and  you 
will  also,  I  trust,  implore  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
impress  the  truth  so  effectually  upon  your 
hearts,  that  it  may  become  interwoven  with 
the  experience  and  practice  of  every  day.  I 
have  endeavoured  to  sketch  an  outline  of 
principle  for  you  to  fill  up  by  repentance  to- 
ward God,  by  faith  in  Christ,  and  by  devoted- 
ness  to  his  glory;  and  I  am  induced  to  believe 
that  the  course  you  are  here  directed  to  take, 
will  extend  your  liberty,  increase  your  stead- 
fastness, and  augment  your  comfort.  The  very 
thought  of  the  possibility  of  contributing  either 
to  the  pride  or  to  the  carelessness  of  the  hu- 
man heart,  awakened  jealousy  over  my  own 
movements,  lest,  by  accident  or  design,  I 
might  lead  you  astray.  But  having  examined 
what  I  have  Written  in  the  light  of  Revelation, 
I  can  but  express  a  humble  hope  that  it  will, 


TO  YOUNG  CHRISTIANS.  XI 

by  the  Divine  blessing,  be  the  means  of  train- 
ing you  both  for  holy  enjoyments,  and  for  spi- 
ritual services. 

Let  me,  however,  request  you  to  read,  not 
hastily,  and  without  thought,  but,  deliberately 
and  with  reflection.  You  must  think,  as  you 
proceed;  and  inquire  into  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit  in  those  passages  of  Scripture  which  are 
introduced  either  to  disclose  or  to  enforce  an 
obligation.  Particularly  let  me  urge  you  to 
study  the  sixth  Chapter,  on  "  Blessings  to  be 
realized,  and  the  means  of  obtaining  them;" 
which,  although  it  consists,  principally  at 
least,  of  citations  from  the  Inspired  Volume, 
is  the  key  to  the  whole.  You  have  there  the 
will  of  God,  in  the  very  words  of  God;  and 
from  their  decision  there  is  no  appeal. 

Seeking  to  place  sound  doctrine  and  saluta- 
ry counsel  before  you,  I  have  endeavoured  to 
be  as  plain  as  possible;  and  whatever  may  be 
the  result  of  the  step  I  have  taken — which  I 
must,  however,  hope  will  be  your  profit — I 
shall  be  consoled  by  the  reflection,  that  my 
sole  object  was  to  give  a  Scriptural  direction 
to  your  faith  and  labours;  so  that  your  Chris- 
tian progress  might  be  regular  and  consistent, 


Xll  TO  YOUNG  CHRISTIANS. 

and  the  Great  Head  of  the  church  honoured 
by  the  consecration  of  your  time,  and  proper- 
ty, and  influence,  to  his  service. 

There  are  many  safe  and  useful  guides,*  of 
which  you  will  do  well  to  avail  yourselves,  in 
your  pilgrimage  to  the  skies ;  but  I  am  not 
aware  that  any  of  them  render  this  view  of 
Christian  consistency  unnecessary. 

And  now,  my  dear  young  friends,  accept,  I 
beseech  you,  this  humble  and  affectionate  tri- 
bute of  concern  for  your  holiness,  happiness, 
and  usefulness;  that,  together,  we  may  ascribe 
"  salvation  and  power  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  for  ever." 

E.  MANNERING. 

*  See  Buck's  Young  Christian's  Guide.  R.  Philip's 
Guides.    James'  Anxious  Inquirer. 


CHRISTIAN    CONSISTENCY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


GENERAL    OBSERVATIONS     ON    EXPERIMENTAL    AM)     PRACTICAL 
RELIGION. 


Spirituality  of  character  is  the  Christian's 
glory;  and  in  proportion  to  the  growth  of 
the  graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  heart, 
will  be  his  elevation  in  the  scale  of  moral 
beauty.  Outward  circumstances,  however  ad- 
verse, cannot  eclipse  the  splendour  of  those 
holy  principles  which  shed  their  influence 
alike  upon  the  temper  and  the  conduct  of  the 
man  of  God;  nor  can  the  absence  of  high 
intellectual  endowments  throw  a  shade  over 
the  bright  and  lovely  adornings  of  the  low- 
liest and  most  obscure  of  God's  servants. 
Sanctified  gifts  do,  indeed,  invest  the  religion 
of  the  heart  with  powerful  attractions ;  and 
the  peculiarities  of  rank  add  weight  and  intc- 
4 


20  EXPERIMENTAL    AND 

rest  to  the  profession  of  the  serious:  yet,  the 
poor  and  unlettered  believer  is  enshrined  in  a 
halo  of  glory,  as  spiritual,  and  as  illustrative  of 
the  majesty  and  purity  of  the  truth,  as  that 
which  rests  on  mitred  heads,  bowing  before 
the  cross  of  Immanuel.  The  people  of  God 
are  "one  in  Christ,  and  everyone  members 
one  of  another."  They  derive  their  life  from 
the  same  source,  through  the  same  medium, 
for  the  same  purpose;  and  being  "baptized  by 
one  Spirit  into  one  body,"  their  minor  dis- 
tinctions of  name  and  character  are  lost. 
Ought  they  not  then,  to  "endeavour  to  keep 
the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace," 
and  "  earnestly  to  contend  for  the  faith  which 
was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints?" 

But  we  fear  that  professed  Christians  are 
too  inattentive  to  that  state  of  heart,  which  is 
identified,  both  in  its  existence  and  results, 
with  whatever  is  lovely  in  the  Gospel,  de- 
lightful in  Christian  experience,  and  consis- 
tent in  practical  godliness.  Salvation  is  both 
free  and  full;  but  it  can  be  neither  understood 
nor  enjoyed,  unless  the  heart  be  under  the 
influence  of  that  grace  which  sanctifies,  while 
it   saves.       God    may,  and   frequently   does, 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION.  21 

impart  life  and  peace  to  his  people  when  they 
are  inattentive  to  his  requirements,  and  have 
even  forgotten  their  obligations  to  his  love; 
(Isaiah  lxv.  1;)  but  they  have  no  scriptural 
authority  for  expecting  the  supplies  of  his 
Spirit  in  any  other  order  than  in  that  he  has 
prescribed  in  the  preceptive  part  of  his  word; 
and  the  Spirit,  whensoever  bestowed,  is  given 
that  evil  might  be  suppressed,  never  that  it 
might  be  fostered. 

No  principle  in  science,  no  axiom  in  philo- 
sophy, is  more  obvious,  than  the  connexion  of 
cause  and  effect  in  theology;  and  he  who  has 
never  seen  this  connexion,  or,  having  seen  it, 
will  not  pursue  the  course  it  points  out,  has 
adopted  a  speculative  system  of  religion, 
which,  if  not  relinquished,  will  eternally  ruin 
him.  All  error  is  dangerous ;  and  he  who 
rejects  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  grace,  is 
not  in  a  more  pitiable  and  dangerous  condition 
than  he,  who,  though  tenaciously  adhering  to 
the  truth  in  sentiment,  forgets  that  between 
the  enjoyment  of  God's  presence,  and  the 
purity  of  the  heart  in  which  he  dwells,  there 
is  an  unbroken  connexion.  "For  he  that  will 
love  life,  and  see  good  days,  let  him  keep  his 


22  EXPERIMENTAL    AND 

tongue  from  evil,  and  his  lips  that  they  speak 
no  guile."     (1  Pet.  iii.  10.) 

If  the  passage,  just  cited,  be  regarded  in  its 
obvious  meaning,  the  connexion  to  which  an 
allusion  has  been  made  will  appear.  Good 
days  are  in  reserve  for  him  whose  tongue  is 
kept  from  evil,  and  whose  lips  are  free  from 
guile.  Is  this  the  order  of  God's  procedure 
in  blessing  his  people?  Then,  some  one  may 
reply,  "their  happiness  is  dependent,  not  on 
his  free  and  unmerited  favour,  but  on  their 
efforts,  and  thus  the  glory  of  truth  is  at  once 
oiscured,  and  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
dishonoured."  A  moment's  attention  to  this 
objection  will  be  sufficient  for  its  refutation. 
"Without  me,"  said  the  Saviour,  "ye  can  do 
nothing;"  (John  xv.  5;)  and  "I,"  said  the 
Apostle,  "can  do  all  things  through  Christ 
which  strengtheneth  me."  (Phil.  iv.  13.) 
Nothing,  therefore,  can  be  done  by  the  be- 
liever without  Divine  assistance;  but,  influ- 
enced by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  most  difficult 
duties  can  be  discharged.  From  this  admis- 
sion arises  the  question,  what  is  God's  pre- 
scribed order  of  giving  that  assistance  which 
disposes  and  enables  the  Christian  to   do  his 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION.  23 

will  ?  "  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the 
branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it 
abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can  ye,  except  ye 
abide  in  me."  (John  xv.  4.)  Here  is  the 
order — union  to  Christ,  and  the  consequent 
abiding  of  the  soul  in  Christ.  If  a  branch  be 
severed  from  the  tree,  will  it  not  die?  God 
could  cause  it  to  blossom,  as  he  did  Aaron's 
rod,  when  it  was  laid  up  before  the  ark  of  the 
covenant;  but  the  question  is  not,  what  can 
he  do?  but,  what  are  the  laws  by  which  vege- 
tation is  carried  forward  ?  The  husbandman 
cannot  reap  the  harvest  without  first  sowing 
the  seed ;  and  none  can  enjoy  the  life  of  God, 
while  they  neglect  the  means  by  which  it  is 
communicated.  To  keep  the  tongue  from 
evil,  is  essential  to  the  seeing  of  good  days; 
but  it  does  not  follow,  neither  is  it  true,  that 
these  happy  times  are  merited  by  the  bridling 
of  this  unruly  member.  "By  the  grace  of 
God  I  am  what  I  am;"  (1  Cor.  xv.  10;)  and 
we  could  as  soon  create  a  world  as  purchase 
his  favour.  Still,  we  cannot  expect  to  receive 
the  blessings  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  be  satisfied 
with  his  mercy,  except  in  his  own  way.  "  If 
his  children  forsake  my  law,  and  walk  not  in 
4* 


24  EXPERIMENTAL    AND 

my  judgments;  if  they  break  my  statutes,  and 
keep  not  my  commandments:  then  will  I 
visit  their  transgression  with  the  rod,  and 
their  iniquity  with  stripes."  (Ps.  lxxxix.  30- 
32.) 

It  must,  then,  in  this  place,  be  distinctly 
stated;  first,  that  God  has  his  prescribed  order 
of  blessing,  and  of  working  in  the  hearts  of 
his  people;  secondly,  that  in  this  order  alone 
can  they  reasonably  hope  to  receive  his  bles- 
sing; and,  thirdly,  that  in  exhorting  them  to 
seek  the  fulfilment  of  the  Divine  promises  in 
this  way — yea,  in  charging  them  to  seek 
them  in  no  other  way;  and  in  assuring  them, 
that  by  observing  God's  order,  and  seeking 
his  presence  when,  and  where,  that  order  may 
lead  them,  they  may  expect  to  walk  in  the 
light  of  it;  we  disclaim,  most  sincerely,  all 
attempts  to  legalize  his  motives,  or  to  draw 
him  from  the  simplicity  of  the  Gospel. 

Such  an  avowal  is  rendered  necessary  by 
the  fastidiousness  of  some  pious  people.  From 
an  anxiety  to  honour  God,  whose  grace  is  the 
source  of  all  moral  excellence;  and  from  a 
lawful  jealousy  for  the  glory  of  the  Eternal 
Spirit,  the  Author  of  all  true  religion,  they 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION.  25 

are  imperceptibly  led  into  error.  Guarding 
against  one  mistake,  they  fall  into  another; 
and  not  observing  God's  ordinary  procedure, 
they  stumble  on  the  threshold  of  that  truth, 
which,  if  crossed,  would  admit  them  to  the 
fulness  and  sufficiency  of  the  Gospel.  Ex- 
tremes of  truth  are  even  dangerous;  and  we 
would  avoid  both  the  legality  of  the  Pelagian, 
and  the  licentiousness  of  the  Antinomian;  be- 
lieving it  to  be  both  safe  and  expedient  to 
seek  God's  blessing  where  his  word  assures  us 
it  may  be  found.  "  Whoso  is  wise,  and  will 
observe  these  things,  even  they  shall  under- 
stand the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord."  (Ps. 
cvii.  42.) 

In  perfect  accordance  with  these  observa- 
tions, is  the  conviction,  that  grace  is  given  for 
experimental  and  practical  purposes ;  and, 
consequently,  that  faith  and  works  are  in- 
separably connected.  God  imparts  his  Spirit 
for  his  own  glory,  as  well  as  for  our  comfort; 
and,  indeed,  his  own  glory  is  the  end  of  all 
he  does  both  for  us  and  within  us ;  but  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive  how  he  can  be  glorified 
by  his  people  if  they  despise  his  authority. 
"  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him,  ought  him- 


26  EXPERIMENTAL    AND 

self  also  so  to  walk,  even  as  he  walked;"  (1 
John  ii.  6;)  and  he  who  reaHy  loves  God,  will 
manifest  that  attachment  by  "  bringing  forth 
fruits  meet  for  repentance."  "  He  that  saith, 
I  know  him,  and  keepeth  not  his  command- 
ments, is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him. 
But  whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him  verily  is 
the  love  of  God  perfected:  hereby  know  we 
that  we  are  in  him."  (1  John  ii.  4,  5.)  To 
confess  that  we  are  sinners,  that  we  daily  dis- 
cover more  of  the  Saviour's  beauty,  and  that 
our  knowledge  of  his  truth  increases,  is  easy 
indeed!  But  what  proportion  does  our  prac- 
tice bear  to  our  experience?  Does  our  light 
shine  before  men  ?  Does  our  sense  of  evil 
induce  us  to  hate  it,  and  to  flee  from  it  ?  Ex- 
perience must  be  tested  by  practice;  and  that 
experience  that  is  unconnected  with  a  sub- 
dued temper  in  particular,  and  that  does  not 
influence  the  life  in  general,  is  not  of  God; 
neither  will  he  own  it  in  the  day  of  trial.  An 
increase  of  faith  is  always  attended  by  an  in- 
crease of  humility;  the  heart  in  which  arc 
sown  the  seeds  of  righteousnes,  will  bear  the 
fruits  of  holiness;  and  the  spirit,  richly  im- 
bued with  an  experimental  knowledge  of  the 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION.  27 

Lord,  will  leave  a  savour  upon  every  thing 
she  touches;  and  from  her  altars  will  arise  the 
sweetest  odours,  convincing  all  who  observe 
her  tendency,  that  the  fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  there.  The  nearer  a  man  comes  to  God  by 
faith,  the  more  like  God  will  he  be;  and 
every  interview  with  which  God  indulges 
him,  will  bring  him  more  fully  out  of  nature 
into  grace.  u  But  we  all,  with  open  face  be- 
holding as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
are  changed  into  the  same  image  from  glory 
to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
(2  Cor.  iii.  IS.)  While  he  imbibes  the  spirit, 
he  retains  the  impression  of  truth:  and  the 
love  of  Christ  constraining  him,  his  life  be- 
comes the  practical  comment  of  his  creed. 
By  experience,  the  truth  is  established  in  the 
heart,  and  its  beauty  and  purity  are  also  made 
to  adorn  the  life;  and  its  sanctifying  influences 
never  so  entirely  govern  the  character,  as 
when  the  soul's  experience  of  its  power  is 
vivid  and  full.  He  knows  nothing  experi- 
mentally of  the  doctrines  of  election,  of  re- 
demption, and  of  justification,  who  evinces 
nothing  of  their  holiness  and  love  in  his  out- 
ward demeanour.     "  A  good  man  out  of  the 


28  EXPERIMENTAL    AND 

good  treasure  of  the  heart  bringeth  forth  good 
things;"  (Matt.  xii.  35;)  and  his  approxima- 
tion to  the  holiness  of  truth,  will  be  in  pro- 
portion to  his  knowledge  of  the  power  of 
truth.  All  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  are  con- 
nected; but  while  they  are  identified  in  char- 
acter and  design,  they  are  distinct  in  their 
bearings,  and  peculiar  in  their  influence. 
Every  truth  is  full  of  grace,  but  each  truth 
has  grace  peculiarly  its  own;  and  to  be  filled 
with  the  grace  of  truth,  we  must  not  only  re- 
ceive  "  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it,"  but  also 
that  peculiar  grace  which  each  truth  contains. 
Words  are  only  so  far  useful  as  they  are 
vehicles  of  thought;  and  truth  is  influential 
only  when  it  becomes  the  medium  of  life  to 
our  souls,  of  light  to  our  understandings,  and 
of  love  to  our  hearts.  And  from  passing  over 
this  fact  as  trivial  and  unimportant,  many  are 
orthodox  in  sentiment,  whose  lives  form  a 
mournful  contrast  to  the  example  of  Christ 
and  his  apostles.  "The  devils  believe  and 
tremble;"  (James  ii.  19;)  but  they  neither 
love  nor  obey  the  truth;  and  it  is  idle  for  any 
man  to  talk  of  his  knowledge  of  the  Gospel, 
unless  he  has  been  subdued  by  its  power,  and 


PRACTICAL    RELIGION.  29 

transformed  into  its  purity.  Truth  is  vital  in 
its  nature;  and  therefore  conduces,  in  its 
operations,  to  that  frame  of  mind,  and  to  that 
cast  of  character,  which  is  at  once  the  indica- 
tion and  proof  of  regeneration.  The  truth, 
therefore,  cannot  dwell  in  that  heart  over 
which  sin  and  Satan  dominate.  "  It  is  the 
Spirit  that  quickeneth;  the  flesh  profiteth 
nothing;  the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you, 
they  are  spirit,  and  they  are  life;"  (John  vi. 
63;)  they  contain  the  elements  of  life,  and  are 
the  means  of  the  soul's  inspiration ;  so  that  if 
they  be  heard  and  received,  they  will  secure 
the  consecration  of  body  and  soul  to  the  Re- 
deemer's praise.  Is  there  not  love  in  the 
doctrine  of  election  ?  Freedom  from  sin  in 
the  doctrine  of  redemption  ?  Then,  to  be 
saved,  to  be  comforted,  and  to  be  rendered 
fruitful  by  these  doctrines,  we  must  receive 
them,  not  in  the  letter  or  outward  form,  but 
in  their  spirit  and  inward  glory:  and  this 
reception,  being  vitally  experimental,  and 
therefore  connected  with  feeding  on  Christ, 
the  essential  Word,  will  call. forth  that  love 
and  zeal  which  are  evidences  of  adoption  into 
the  family  of  God. 

On  these  principles  we  are  able  to  account 


30  EXPERIMENTAL    AND 

for  the  difference,  not  only  between  the  nomi- 
nal professor,  and  the  true  child  of  God,  but 
also  between  one  Christian  and  another.  Both 
believe  the  same  truths,  and  avow  their  de- 
pendence on  the  same  Spirit;  but  how  marked 
is  their  disproportion  of  experience  and  prac- 
tice !  The  one  is  fruitful,  happy,  and  in  health ; 
the  other  is  barren,  mournful,  and  sickly:  he 
lives,  it  is  true,  but  it  is  a  meagre,  heartless 
life;  and  though  fed  at  the  King's  table,  and 
admitted  to  all  the  privileges  of  his  house,  he 
is  unlike  the  Master  he  professes  to  serve. 
His  manner  is  uncourteous,  and  his  temper 
morose;  he  is  irritable,  peevish,  soon  angry, 
and  easily  provoked; — his  wife,  his  children, 
and  his  servants  suffer  from  his  inconsisten- 
cies; and  if  they  have  any  sense  of  Christian 
propriety,  they  can  but  weep  at  this  ominous 
defection  of  Christian  principle.  And  yet, 
with  all  these  practical  departures  from  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  are 
professedly  revered.  The  preacher  must,  to 
please  persons  of  this  description,  always  ba- 
lance the  higher  scales  of  personal,  uncondi- 
tional election,  and  absolute  predestination; 
and  any  attempts  on  his  part  to  secure  the 
practical  results  of  faith  in  Christ  are  denoun- 


PRACTICAL  RELIGION.  31 

ced  as  the  efforts  of  Pharisaical  pride,  or  pitied 
as  the  simple  and  ill-timed  effusions  of  a  mere 
babe  in  Divinity.  But  with  all  this  apparent 
zeal  for  the  Saviour's  glory,  the  mind  that  was 
in  him  is  not  in  them;  and  fearful,  indeed,  are 
the  proofs  which  their  inconsistencies  supply 
of  the  almost  total  absence  of  Divine  life,  and 
of  spiritual  knowledge. 

How  observable,  then,  is  the  difference  be- 
tween one  professor  and  another!  the  one  re- 
ceives the  doctrine  only,  the  other  the  truth 
of  the  doctrine;  the  one  gathers  the  fruit  only, 
the  other  eats  it;  the  one  is  amused  at  the 
sound  of  salvation,  the  other  is  cheered  by  its 
sentiment;  the  one  reads  and  admires  the 
truth,  the  other  enters  upon  its  possession; 
and  while  the  one  is  debating  and  speculating, 
the  other  is  proving  and  rejoicing.  The  hum- 
ble believer  endeavours  to  realize  the  power, 
that  he  may  exemplify  the  influence,  of  the 
doctrines;  he  is  anxious  that  the  seed  should 
germinate,  and  that  the  food  should  digest. 
Here,  then,  is  the  secret  of  doctrinal  and  of 
practical  experience;  nor  can  we  ever  be  fruit- 
ful Christians  but  in  this  way,  and  by  these 
means.  IE  the  Holy  Spirit  has  taught  us  the 
5 


32  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION,  &C. 

V 

doctrine  of  election,  we  have  received  the  love 
of  it  into  our  hearts.  If  the  source  be  love, 
the  stream  must  be  love;  and  while  an  unin- 
fluential  knowledge  of  this  most  holy  and  pro- 
found truth  may  satisfy  the  speculative  pro- 
fessor, and  become  the  charm  of  his  awful  de- 
lusions; he  whose  heart  has  been  directed  into 
it,  will  evince  his  fellowship  with  it,  by  deep 
humility,  by  pungency  of  sorrow  for  sin,  and 
by  a  conscientious  regard  to  the  Divine  will. 
And  as  with  the  doctrine  of  election,  so  with 
every  other  doctrine  of  the  Gospel;  the  purity, 
the  life,  and  the  comfort  of  truth  must  be  re- 
ceived, or  our  knowledge  will  be  useless,  and 
our  profession  vain.  Have  I  received  the  Gos- 
pel, then,  "in  word  only;  or  in  power,  and  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance?" 
Have  I  only  the  theory  of  truth  in  my  under- 
standing, or  have  its  influences  sanctified  my 
heart  ?  are  my  fondest  hopes  entwined  around 
it,  amid  the  delusions  of  unsubdued  depravity  ? 
or,  while  I  glory  in  its  adaptation  to  the  guilty, 
am  I  delighted  with  its  sufficiency  to  purify 
the  unclean  ? 

Reader,  these  questions  deserve  thy  most 
serious  attention! 


33 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  NATURE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  WALK. 

Upon  a  spiritual  reception,  and  an  experi- 
mental knowledge  of  "  the  truth,  as  it  is  in 
Jesus/'  depends  the  consistency,  the  regula- 
rity, and  the  peace  of  the  believer's  walk  in 
the  path  of  obedience.  He  cannot  serve  God 
acceptably  without  faith  in  Christ;  but  having 
been  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  his  mind,  he  can- 
not serve  Satan  and  the  world.  Christ's  love 
to  his  Church  was  a  benevolent  love:  "  For 
the  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a 
ransom  for  many;"  (Matt.  xx.  28;)  and  when 
that  love  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts,  it  will 
lead  us  "  to  serve  him  without  fear,  in  holi- 
ness, and  righteousness  before  him,  all  the 
days  of  our  life."  (Luke  i.  75.)  To  love 
Christ  and  to  obey  him,  are  so  identified,  that 
he  who  neglects  or  despises  the  precepts  of 
the  Gospel,  renders  his  conversion  doubtful. 
What  proof  do  I  give  of  love  to  Jesus,  if  I  dis- 


34  THE  NATURE  OF 

regard  his  precepts  ?  And  how  can  my  heart 
be  under  the  constraining  influence  of  his 
grace,  if  I  walk  not  in  the  way  of  his  statutes  ? 
His  attractions  are  holy  and  spiritual;  and  if  I 
am  subject  to  his  Divine  guidance,  must  I  not 
follow  him  as  well  to  the  field  of  labour,  as  to 
the  pasture  of  rest?  The  blessedness  of  ex- 
perimental religion  partly  consists  in  the  con- 
secration of  all  our  powers  of  body  and  mind 
to  his  service;  and  the  very  enjoyments  of  his 
love  will  induce,  as  a  necessary  consequence, 
devotion  to  his  glory.  Love  toils  to  express 
her  sense  of  obligation  to  the  Redeemer;  and 
while  faith  and  prudence  regulate  her  proce- 
dure, there  will  be  so  striking  a  manifestation 
of  the  effects  of  Divine  grace,  that  even  the 
enemies  of  the*  cross  will  be  constrained  to  ac- 
knowledge the  purity  and  power  of  Christian 
principle.  And  whatever  may  be  the  actual 
proportion  of  practice  to  the  privilege  from 
which  it  proceeds,  there  can  be  no  joy  in  the 
heart,  if  the  life  be  unsanctified,  and  in  hosti- 
lity to  the  Saviour's  claims.  There  is  a  link 
between  privilege  and  duty  which  no  man  can 
break;  and  he  who  attempts  to  destroy  the 
established  order  of  Divine  wisdom,  in  her 


35 


munificent  donations  of  mercy  to  "  miserable 
sinners,"  has  not  departed  further  from  the 
truth,  and  is  not  more  deluded,  than  he  who 
expects  joy  and  peace  apart  from  the  purify- 
ing influence  of  the  truth,  from  which,  never- 
theless, he  professes  to  derive  his  comfort  and 
his  hope.  Oh,  never  may  we  be  permitted  to 
insult  the  Deity  by  seeking  redemption  from 
hell,  while  we  are  indifferent  about  meetness 
for  heaven!  Language  does  not  supply  us 
with  terms  sufficiently  expressive  of  our  ab- 
horrence of  that  system  of  theology  that  gen- 
ders laxity  of  morals,  or  even  attaches  unim- 
portance to  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel.  "  What 
manner  of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy 
conversation  and  godliness?"  (2  Pet.  iii.  11.) 
li  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  (Matt.  v. 
16.) 

But  in  what  does  the  Christian's  walk  con- 
sist ?  "  He  hath  showed  thee,  0  man,  what 
is  good;  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require  of 
thee,  but  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  to 
walk  humbly  with  thy  God."  (Mic.  vi.  S.) 
Thy  walk,  therefore,  includes  the  progress  of 
5* 


36  THE   NATURE  OF 

the  heart  in  the  knowledge  and  enjoyment  of 
his  love;  and  the  actions  of  the  life,  with  the 
improved,  and  improving  condition  of  their 
motives.  This  is  evident  from  the  following 
passages,  among  others,  which  might  be  cited. 
"  As  ye  have  therefore  received  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  him:  Rooted  and 
built  up  in  him,  and  stablished  in  the  faith,  as 
ye  have  been  taught,  abounding  therein  with 
thanksgiving."  (Col.  ii.  6,  7.)  "  Let  no  cor- 
rupt communication  proceed  out  of  your 
mouth,  but  that  which  is  good  to  the  use  of 
edifying,  that  it  may  minister  grace  unto  the 
hearers.  And  grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God,  whereby  ye  are  sealed  unto  the  day  of 
redemption.  Let  all  bitterness,  and  wrath, 
and  anger,  and  clamour,  and  evil-speaking,  be 
put  away  from  you,  with  all  malice:  And  be 
ye  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiv- 
ing one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake 
hath  forgiven  you.  Be  ye  therefore  followers 
of  God,  as  dear  children;  And  walk  in  love, 
as  Christ  also  hath  loved  us,  and  hath  given 
himself  for  us,  an  offering  and  a  sacrifice  to 
God  for  a  sweet-smelling  savour.  But  forni- 
cation, and  all  uncleanness,  or  covetousness, 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  WALK.  37 

let  it  not  be  once  named  among  you,  as  be- 
cometh  saints;  Neither  filthiness,  nor  foolish 
talking,  nor  jesting,  which  are  not  convenient; 
but  rather  giving  of  thanks."  (Eph.  iv.  29 — 
32;  v.  1 — 4.)  "Furthermore  then,  we  be- 
seech you,  brethren,  and  exhort  you  by  the 
Lord  Jesus,  that  as  ye  have  received  of  us  how 
ye  ought  to  walk  and  please  God,  so  ye  would 
abound  more  and  more.  For  ye  know  what 
commandments  we  gave  you  by  the  Lord 
Jesus.  For  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your 
sanctification."  (1  Thess.  iv.  1—3.)  "And 
as  many  as  walk  according  to  this  rule,  peace 
be  on  them,  and  mercy,  and  upon  the  Israel  of 
God.'7  (Gal.  vi.  16.)  "  I,  therefore,  the  pri- 
soner of  the  Lord,  beseech  you,  that  ye  walk 
worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  ye  are  call- 
ed. With  all  lowliness  and  meekness,  with 
long-suffering,  forbearing  one  another  in  love." 
(Eph.  iv.  1,2.)  "  See  then  that  ye  walk  cir- 
cumspectly, not  as  fools,  but  as  wise;  redeem- 
ing the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil." 
(Eph.  v.  15,  16.)  "For  this  cause  we  also, 
since  the  day  we  heard  it,  do  not  cease  to  pray 
for  you,  and  to  desire  that  ye  might  be  filled 
with  the  knowledge  of  his  will,  in  all  wisdom 


38  THE  NATURE  OF 

and  spiritual  understanding;  that  yc  might 
walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  be- 
ing fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increas- 
ing in  the  knowledge  of  God."  (Col.  i.  9, 10.) 
But  why  should  I  multiply  citations  ?  Again, 
and  again,  arc  we  urged  in  Scripture  by  argu- 
ments the  most  powerful,  and  by  motives  the 
most  persuasive,  to  do  the  will  of  God.  The 
apostles  admit  that  Divine  grace,  when  expe- 
rienced, will  secure  obedience;  and  for  this 
reason  they  generally  remind  believers  of  their 
privileges,  before  they  enforce  their  obliga- 
tions; but  they  do  not,  on  this  account,  fail  to 
press  duty:  on  the  contrary,  as  fulness  of  doc- 
trine involves  perfection  of  precept,  they  are 
practical  in  proportion  as  they  are  doctrinal. 
There  must  be  an  effort  to  perform  the  work 
which  naturally  results  from  union  to  Christ; 
and  our  desires  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  God 
are  not  to  be  more  intense,  than  are  our  perse- 
vering endeavours  to  serve  God.  It  is  our 
privilege  to  sit  at  his  feet,  to  feed  at  his  table, 
and,  oh  that  we  were  more  concerned  to  en- 
joy his  presence!  But  arc  we  not  bound  to 
his  service,  and  blessed  in  his  employment  ? 
In  speaking  to  us  as  a  Master,  does  he  not 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  WALK.  39 

converse  with  us  as  a  Father?  Are  there  not 
fountains  of  water  to  refresh  us  in  the  desert, 
across  which  duty  leads  us?  Is  not  the  hus- 
bandman a  partaker  of  the  fruits?  Does  not 
every  step  we  take  in  this  obedient  course 
place  us,  by  the  strength  he  affords,  under  ad- 
ditional obligations  to  love  him?  Has  not  our 
hope  of  eternal  life  often  been  encouraged  by 
those  assurances  of  his  protection  and  favour, 
which  were  given  to  quicken  our  pace,  when 
sent  by  him  on  some  errand  of  mercy  ?  Oh, 
the  blessedness  of  practical  faith!  How  sweet 
are  the  ties  of  gratitude  that  bind  us  to  the 
Saviour's  service!  We  would  not  have  them 
broken  for  the  wealth  of  worlds.  Let  who 
will  forget  the  Saviour's  authority,  be  it  your 
concern,  my  dear  young  friends,  to  remember 
it;  for  when  your  consciousness  of  his  Priest- 
hood is  most  vivid,  your  conceptions  of  his 
Kingly  authority  will  be  most  accurate. 

But  none  can  walk  so  as  to  please  God, 
whose  hearts  are  not  right  with  him.  Chris- 
tian practice  must  flow  from  Christian  princi- 
ple; and  reconciliation  to  God  by  the  death  of 
his  Son  must  precede  acceptable  obedience. 
We  work,  not  for  life,  but  from  life;  not  to 


40  THE  NATURE  OF 

obtain  a  righteousness,  but  because  we  have 
received  one:  yet  even  this  fact  does  not  jus- 
tify inattention  to  the  actual  state  of  our  affec- 
tions. No:  we  must  still  seek  to  please  our 
heavenly  Father,  and  diligently  cultivate  spi- 
rituality of  mind.  Lovely  as  external  con- 
sistency may  be  in  the  eye  of  man,  and  con- 
clusive as  may  be  its  argumentative  evidence 
in  favour  of  a  change  of  heart,  it  must  not  al- 
ways be  regarded  as  an  expression  of  soul 
prosperity.  A  thousand  inducements  to  an 
orderly  observance  of  precept,  may  influence 
the  life,  when  the  heart  is  departing  from  God 
after  its  idols;  and  when  its  best  and  holiest 
feelings  are  withering,  like  the  herb  from 
which  the  dews  of  heaven  have  been  suspend- 
ed. Sad  indeed,  and  frequent  too,  are  the  de- 
clensions of  the  life  and  power  of  religion  in 
the  heart  where  Jesus  dwells!  Hence  the  ne- 
cessity of  watchfulness  against  evil,  and  prayer 
to  the  Holy  Spirit  for  his  renewing  grace! 
Our  own  vineyard  must  not  be  neglected; 
and,  amid  all  the  excitements  to  public  labour 
which  the  moral  movements  of  the  Christian 
church  are  so  well  adapted  to  awaken,  there 
must  be  an  undeviating  attention  to  the  health 


41 


and  growth  of  the  inner  man.  Our  own  walk 
with  God  is  of  paramount  importance.  Un- 
der no  circumstances  are  we  justified  in  ne- 
glecting those  means  which  are  calculated  to 
promote  communion  with  the  Saviour;  and 
which,  because  of  their  holy  tendency,  are  en- 
joined upon  our  attention.  The  true  spring 
of  religious  activity  is  that  which  impels  the 
soul  in  her  course  of  believing;  and  that 
Christian  will  diffuse  much  of  the  odour  of  the 
name  of  Jesus,  whose  heart  is  filled  with  its 
fragrance.  Peter  and  John  were  so  entirely 
under  the  influence  of  Divine  truth,  that  their 
enemies  "  took  knowledge  of  them,  that  they 
had  been  with  Jesus. "  (Acts  iv.  13.)  The 
glory  of  the  Master  reflected  lustre  upon  his 
servants;  and  they  came  from  the  mount  of 
communion  with  their  Lord,  to  tell  what  they 
had  seen  of  his  majesty,  what  they  had  felt  of 
his  power,  and  to  scatter  the  blessings  with 
which  he  had  enriched  them.  They  drank  of 
u  living  water"  so  abundantly,  that  its  streams 
overflowed  their  spirits  to  fertilize  the  wastes 
around  them.  And  whoever  would  be  a  bless- 
ing to  his  friends  and  neighbours,  must  him- 
self be  first  blessed  of  God. 


42  THE  NATURE  OF 

Let  us,  then,  attend  to  that  state  of  heart 
which  will  fit  us  for  duty,  and  render  labour 
as  well  as  rest  desirable.  "  Finally,  brethren, 
whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things 
are  honest,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  what- 
soever things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report; 
if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any 
praise,  think  on  these  things.  Those  things, 
which  ye  have  both  learned,  and  received,  and 
heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do:  and  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you."  (Phil.  iv.  8,  9.)  Let  the 
actions  of  every  day,  and  of  every  hour,  accord 
with  the  truth  on  which  your  hopes  of  eternal 
life  repose.  For  "if  any  man  teach  otherwise, 
and  consent  not  to  wholesome  words,  even 
the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  the 
doctrine  which  is  according  to  godliness;  he 
is  proud,  knowing  nothing."  (1  Tim.  vi.  3,4.) 
The  truth  is  to  be  both  preached  and  believed 
for  holy  purposes;  and  when  its  power  is  felt, 
its  authority  will  be  acknowledged.  He  who 
professes  to  love  the  truth,  but  does  not  obey 
it,  is  either  awfully  deceived,  or  is  an  hypo- 
critical deceiver;  and,  being  condemned  by 
his  own  actions,  is  proved  to  be  "  in  the  gall 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S    WALK.  43 

of  bitterness,  and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity." 
The  grace  of  God  leads  from  sin  and  the 
world,  to  holiness  and  the  church.  "This  is 
a  faithful  saying,  and  these  things  I  will  that 
thou  affirm  constantly;"  not  occasionally,  but 
perpetually;  "that  they  which  have  believed 
in  God  might  be  careful  to  maintain  good 
works;"  (Titus  iii.  S;)  that  they  might  not 
expect  them  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  there- 
fore be  indifferent  either  to  their  number  or 
character;  but  that  they  might  give  heed  to 
them ;  and  that  not  now  and  then  only,  but  at 
all  times;  so  that,  whether  they  be  poor  or 
rich,  young  or  old,  masters  or  servants,  hus- 
bands or  wives,  parents  or  children,  preachers 
or  hearers,  they  be  not  unfruitful,  but  "  learn 
to  maintain  good  works  for  necessary  uses." 
(Titus  iii.  14.)  If  light  and  darkness,  truth 
and  error,  are  not  more  incompatible,  than 
love  to  Christ  and  departure  from  his  ways, 
what  a  fearful  condition  must  they  be  in  who 
cry,  "  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  he 
commands  them!"  Of  all  the  awful  charac- 
ters upon  earth,  they  are  the  most  awful  who 
hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness;  "  while 
they  promise  them  liberty,  they  themselves 
6 


44  THE    IMPORTANCE    OF 

are  the  servants  of  corruption."  Attempting 
to  unite  the  church  and  the  world,  they  con- 
vert the  aliment  of  life  into  the  poison  of 
death;  and  the  charms  of  sovereign  grace 
become  the  spell  by  which  the  devil  holds 
them  in  captivity.  Oh!  may  we  be  more 
sensible  of  the  grace  that  has  made  us  to 
differ,  more  thankful  for  its  discriminating 
influence,  more  humbled  under  a  sense  of  our 
deficiencies,  and  more  concerned  for  Christian 
consistency ! 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   IMPORTANCE   OF    THE   CHRISTIAN'S  WALK. 

First:  The  glory  of  God  is  involved  in  it; 
and  he  is  not  more  honoured  in  the  election, 
in  the  redemption,  in  the  conversion,  and  in 
the  eternal  glorification  of  his  people,  than  he 
is  by  their  sanctification.  His  purpose  before 
time,  not  only  contemplated  their  happiness 
beyond  time,  but  made  provision  for  their 
emancipation  from  sin  and  death  in  time. 
"  According    as    he    hath  chosen  us  in    him 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S    WALK.  45 

(Christ)  before  the  foundation  of  the  world; 
that  we  should  be  holy,  and  without  blame 
before  him  in  love.'1'  (Eph.  i.  4.)  "Herein 
is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit; 
so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples."  (John  xv.  S.) 
Nor  is  it  possible  to  honour  a  single  perfection 
of  his  nature,  without  obedience  to  his  will. 
The  character  of  a  tree  is  known  by  the  fruit 
it  bears;  and  does  not  the  fruitfulness  of  the 
believer  manifest  the  care,  the  wisdom,  and 
the  love  of  God  ?  "  When  the  trees  of  the 
Lord  are  full  of  sap,  the  cedars  of  Lebanon 
which  he  hath  planted,"  passing  observers  are 
struck  with  their  healthful  and  beautiful  foli- 
age; and  as  grace  cannot  flourish  in  this  un- 
kindly world  without  heavenly  influences,  our 
growth,  as  well  as  our  fruitfulness,  must  de- 
pend on  their  communication.  We  are  in- 
debted as  much  to  God  for  disposition  as  for 
ability,  to  serve  him;  and  when  we  do  his 
will,  and  bear  his  image,  is  he  not  glorified? 
6t  Thou,  0  Lord,  hast  wrought  all  our  works 
in  us;"  (Isa.  xxvi.  12;)  the  principle  is  thine, 
the  strength  by  which  it  settles  down  into 
habit  is  thine,  and  thine,  0  Lord,  shall  be  the 
glory! 


46  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF 

And  let  it  be  distinctly  understood,  that 
however  retiring  the  people  of  God  may  be, 
they  cannot  conceal  the  fact  of  their  conver- 
sion. The  light  they  borrow  from  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  diffusive;  and  their  elevation 
above  the  world  must  be  sustained,  as  well  by 
spirituality  of  demeanour,  as  by  dignity  of 
character.  The  principles  of  grace  have  ever 
been,  and  ever  will  be,  distinct  from  those  of 
nature;  and  the  Christian  must  never  compro- 
mise the  former,  for  any  secular  or  temporary 
advantages  that  may  be  proffered  by  the  latter. 
"No  man  can  serve  two  masters;  for  either  he 
will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other;  or  else 
he  will  hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other. 
Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon."  (Matt. 
vi.  24.) 

Secondly.  The  enjoyment  of  the  Divine 
presence,  and  the  refreshing  manifestations  of 
the  Saviour's  love,  are  involved  in  that  holy 
and  spiritual  walk  which  every  believer  is 
bound  to  observe.  The  visits  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  in  all  the  delightful  and  endearing  asso- 
ciations of  his  office  and  character,  as  the  Glo- 
rifier  of  Jesus,  and  the  Witness  of  his  mercy, 
are,  indeed,  never  merited  by  the  services  and 


47 


sacrifices  of  his  people;  yet  are  they  vouch- 
safed to  the  obedient,  and  withheld  from  the 
rebellious.  With  the  Bible  in  our  hands,  and 
its  truth  in  our  hearts,  we  cannot  expect  a 
lively  sense  of  our  Father's  approbation,  if  we 
neglect  his  service.  Nor  must  we  refer  our 
soul's  distress  to  the  sovereign  arrangements 
and  immutable  decrees  of  Deity;  for  this 
would  be  as  absurd  as  to  say  that  light  was 
the  cause  of  darkness,  and  heat  the  cause  of 
cold.  No:  we  must  take  the  blame  to  our- 
selves; the  cause  is  with  us.  Some  unmorti- 
fied  temper,  some  unhallowed  indulgence, 
some  practical  departure  from  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel  has  beclouded  our  prospects.  "Be- 
hold, the  Lord's  hand  is  not  shortened,  that  it 
cannot  save;  neither  his  ear  heavy,  that  it  can- 
not hear:  but  your  iniquities  have  separated 
between  you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins 
have  hid  his  face  from  you,  that  he  will  not 
hear."     (Isa.  lix.  1,2.) 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  the  doctrine  of 
Divine  sovereignty  is  denied,  or  that  the  man- 
ifestations of  the  Divine  favour  are  dependent 
on  the  worth  of  the  creature.  "  He  worketh 
all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will;" 
6* 


48  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF 

(Eph.  i.  11;)  and  the  light  he  sheds,  and  the 
darkness  he  diffuses,  around  the  path  of  the 
just,  harmonize  with  his  righteous  determina- 
tions both  to  bless  and  to  chastise  them.  But 
then,  although  tt  His  thoughts  are  thoughts  of 
peace,"  and  although  he  gives  grace  freely, 
his  purposes  to  afflict  them,  by  withdrawing 
from  them  the  light  of  his  countenance,  were 
in  pursuance  of  his  discovery  of  their  actual 
departures  from  him.  "  He  does  not  afflict 
willingly,"  (Lam.  iii.  33,)  nor  because  it  is 
customary  for  a  father  to  correct  his  child;  but 
because  they  deserve,  and  need,  the  visitations 
of  his  displeasure.  We  deserve  misery,  but 
we  never  merit  mercy.  "Oh!  Israel!  thou 
hast  destroyed  thyself;  but  in  me  is  thy  help;" 
(Hos.  xiii.  9;)  and  never  is  the  connexion  be- 
tween experimental  and  practical  religion  ren- 
dered more  apparent  by  the  Divine  procedure, 
than  when  the  reviving  and  fructifying  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit  arc  withheld  from 
that  vineyard  which  the  Christian  neglects  to 
cultivate. 

The  world  of  nature  is  governed  by  laws  so 
wise  in  their  constitution,  so  accurately  adjust- 
ed in  their  controlling  proportions,  and  so  un- 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  WALK.  49 

yielding  in  their  influence,  that  not  a  season 
can  depart,  nor  a  planet  revolve,  nor  a  leaf  fall, 
without  their  cognizance  and  authority;  and 
while  the  astronomer  can  calculate  with  un- 
erring exactness  on  the  movements  of  the  hea- 
venly bodies,  the  philosopher  argues  from 
principles  which  never  deceive.  And  is  not 
the  world  of  grace,  also,  governed  by  equita- 
ble laws?  If  there  be  an  order  of  things  from 
which,  in  working  the  vast  machinery  of  the 
heavens  above,  and  of  the  earth  beneath,  there 
is  not  even  a  slight  deviation;  surely  the  plea- 
sures and  the  pains  of  the  moral  world  are  sus- 
pended on  the  balance  of  justice  and  truth. 
In  the  administration  of  Divine  mercy  towards 
the  ungodly,  the  principles  of  right  govern- 
ment are  never  violated,  any  more  than  the 
glory  of  God's  justice  is  tarnished  by  the  exe- 
cution of  his  vengeance  on  the  impenitent. 
And  not  more  certain  are  we,  that  effects  will 
follow  their  causes  in  nature,  than  that  they 
will  in  grace.  Natural  impossibilities  are  con- 
clusive in  their  evidence  to  the  perfection  and 
harmony  of  natural  laws;  and  moral  impossi- 
bilities are  full  in  their  evidence  to  the  righte- 
ousness and  mercy  of  spiritual  laws.    The  law 


50  THE  IMPORTANCE  OP 

of  gravitation  accounts  for  the  tendency  oi 
bodies  to  their  centre;  and  if  that  law  could  be 
in  part  violated,  or  entirely  suspended,  would 
there  not  be  confusion  and  disorder  among 
those  bodies,  then  no  longer  under  its  control? 
Or,  if  the  bodies  themselves,  by  an  accession 
of  weight  or  diminution  of  size,  could  defy 
this  law; — for  the  power  to  gravitate  must 
bear  a  relative  proportion  to  the  magnitude 
and  density  of  the  object  subject  to  its  influ- 
ence;—how  fearful  would  be  the  consequences! 
And  he,  whose  science  of  theology  is  that  of 
the  heart,  and  not  of  the  head,  can  calculate 
with  certainty  upon  the  results,  both  of  vital 
piety  and  of  declining  devotion.  Let  me  dis- 
regard the  will  of  God;  let  me  be  indifferent 
as  to  the  course  I  take,  the  society  I  choose, 
the  spirit  I  imbibe;  and  with  almost  inspired 
infallibility  I  can  predict  the  consequences. 
Here  is  my  position;  here  are  my  deductions 
— "  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh 
to  you."  (James  iv.  S.)  "  Forsake  him,  and 
he  will  forsake  you."  (2  Chron.  xv.  2.) 
"  And  if  thou  draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hun- 
gry, and  satisfy  the  afflicted  soul;  then  shall 
thy  light  rise  in  obscurity,  and  thy  darkness 


51 


be  as  the  noon-day.  And  the  Lord  shall  guide 
thee  continually,  and  satisfy  thy  soul  in 
drought,  and  make  fat  thy  bone;  and  thou 
shalt  be  like  a  watered  garden,  and  like  a 
spring  of  water,  whose  waters  fail  not."  (Isa. 
lviii.  10,  11.) 

Thirdly.  The  honour  of  truth,  also,  re- 
quires our  consecration  to  the  Saviour's  glory. 
That  ye  were  the  servants  of  sin,  is  a  mourn- 
ful and  humbling  fact;  but  that  ye  have 
obeyed  from  the  heart  that  form,  or  mould,  of 
doctrine,  which  was  delivered  to  you  by  the 
Gospel,  and  into  which  mould  ye  were  cast 
for  the  purpose  of  being  fashioned  after  its 
likeness,  is  a  cheering  reflection.  (Rom.  vi- 
17.)  "Render  unto  Cesar  the  things  which 
are  Cesar's;  and  unto  God  the  things  which 
are  God's;"  and  as  the  coin  is  known  by  the 
superscription  it  bears,  so  ought  the  character 
of  truth  to  be  known  by  the  temper  and  con- 
versation of  those  who  profess  to  love  it.  It 
was  predicted  of  God's  people,  "All  that  see 
them  shall  acknowledge  them,  that  they  are 
the  seed  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed;"  (Is. 
lxi.  9;)  and  when,  by  the  power  of  the  Gos- 
pel, the  proud  and  depraved  heart  of  man  is 


52  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF 

subdued  into  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of 
Christ,  wicked  men  have  been  constrained  to 
confess — "  The  finger  of  God  is  here."  Truth 
is  influential  in  its  principles,  and  practical  in 
its  tendency;  and  our  appeals  for  evidence  of 
its  Divinity  must  be  made,  not  only  to  the 
writings  of  those  "  holy  men  of  God,  who 
spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost;"  but  also  to  the  lives  of  those  who 
believe  "  the  record  which  God  hath  given  of 
his  Son."  "  Ye  are  our  epistle,  written  in  our 
hearts,  known  and  read  of  all  men:  Foras- 
much as  ye  are  manifestly  declared  to  be  the 
epistle  of  Christ,  ministered  by  us,  written 
not  with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living 
God;  not  in  tables  of  stone,  but  in  fleshly 
tables  of  the  heart."  (2  Cor.  iii.  2,  3.) 

The  doctrine  of  the  plenary  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  occupies,  however, 
higher  ground  than  that  on  which  the  con- 
duct of  the  believer  may  place  it.  Christi- 
anity is  not  answerable  for  the  defections  of 
her  votaries;  neither  are  the  evidences  of  her 
Divinity  weakened  by  the  palpable  inconsis- 
tency of  her  admirers,  any  more  than  the 
accuracy    of  mathematical  calculation  is   im- 


53 


peached  by  the  errors  and  mistakes  of  the 
child  who  attempts  to  solve  its  problems.  It 
is  to  the  absence,  and  not  to  the  presence,  of 
truth,  that  the  imperfections  of  its  professors 
are  attributable.  Were  the  doctrines  of  grace 
better  understood;  had  their  lovely  spirit 
been  more  ciFectually  imbibed  ;  and  had  the 
church  in  all  ages  been  more  sensible  of  the 
capabilities  with  which  they  invest  her  for 
service,  as  well  as  for  enjoyment,  fewer  ob- 
jections would  have  been  raised  against  them. 
"  He  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  re- 
deem us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto 
himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works."  (Tit.  ii.  14.)  And  it  is  as  much  the 
Christian's  duty  "  to  abhor  that  which  is  evil, 
and  to  cleave  to  that  which  is  good,"  as  it  is 
his  privilege  to  hold  "  fellowship  with  the 
Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ."  (1 
John  i.  3.)  "Exhort  servants,"  was  Paul's 
charge  to  Titus,  "  ta  be  obedient  unto  their 
own  masters,  and  to  please  them  well  in  all 
things;  not  answering  again;  not  purloining, 
but  showing  all  good  fidelity;  that  they  may 
adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  in  all 


54  THE    GOSPEL    ADORNED  BY 

things."    (Tit.  ii.  9,  10.)     And  this  is  equally 
applicable  to  all  the  servants  of  Christ. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    DOCTRINES    OF   THE    GOSPEL    ADORNED    BY    CHRISTIAN 
CONSISTENCY. 

To  adorn,  is  either  to  beautify  that  which 
is  deformed,  or  to  exhibit  the  loveliness  and 
excellency  of  that  which  is  already  beautiful; 
and  it  is  in  the  latter  sense  that  we  are  to 
adorn  "the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour." 
We  cannot  add  to  it  a  single  charm;  its  glory 
is  perfect:  all  that  we  can  do  is  to  commend 
it  to  the  understanding  and  hearts  of  others, 
by  giving  a  full,  consistent,  and  unvarying 
expression  of  its  character  and  design.  We 
are  so  to  live  and  act,  that  the  truth  may  not 
be  brought  into  disrepute;  but  that  others, 
seeing  what  it  has  done  for  us,  may  be  con- 
strained to  confess  "  it  is  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation/' and  deserves  their  attention  and  love. 
"He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise;"    (Pr.  xi. 


CHRISTIAN    CONSISTENCY.  55 

30;)  and  by  a  good  conversation  we  are  to 
attempt  the  conversion  of  sinners.  (1  Pet. 
iii.  1.) 

But  there  are  reasons  for  believing  that  the 
doctrine  is  dishonoured,  even  by  those  who 
profess  to  love  it:  they  will,  as  it  were,  fight, 
sword  in  hand,  for  its  measure  of  glory  in  the 
scale  of  theology,  but  they  exhibit  none,  or 
but  little,  of  its  essential  loveliness;  nor  any 
of  the  meekness  and  humility  which  are  its 
relative,  not  its  accidental,  attendants.  They 
do,  indeed,  abstain  from  outward  immorality; 
but  their  general  cast  of  character  is  so  unlike 
what  it  ought  to  be,  and  what  it  would  be  if 
the  truth  had  influence  over  them,  that  unbe- 
lievers are  often  heard  to  say — "  If  I  judge  of 
the  doctrine  by  the  spirit  and  conduct  of  those 
who  profess  it,  I  must  decide  both  against  its 
divinity  and  its  utility. "  What  a  blessing 
would  the  truth  be  to  the  world  and  to  the 
church,  if  all  professed  Christians  expressed 
its  holiness  by  every  word  they  utter,  by 
every  temper  they  cultivate,  and  by  every 
action  they  perform.  But,  alas!  their  spirit 
is  often  so  unlovely,  and  their  deeds  so  like 
those  of  worldly  men,  that  they  have  brought 
7 


56  THE    GOSPEL    ADORNED  BY 

the  truth  into  contempt  by  the  very  means 
they  have  employed  for  its  honour;  and  have 
caused  its  expulsion,  where  they  have  ex- 
pected its  enthronement.  The  doctrine  is  al- 
ready glorious  in  the  judgment  of  the  true 
Christian;  and  we  are  to  display  this  glory  in 
practical  life:  having  imbibed  its  spirit,  we 
are  to  develope  its  principles;  we  are  first  to 
be  arrayed  in  its  beauties,  and  then  to  exhibit 
them.  The  truth  in  us,  ought  to  be  what  it 
actually  is  in  the  Bible;  and  we  cannot  confer 
a  greater  blessing  on  those  around  us,  than  we 
shall  do  by  holding  forth  the  word  of  life  in 
all  its  purity  and  power,  not  so  much  by 
strength  of  argument,  as  by  Christian  consis- 
tency. Many  read  our  character,  who 
never  study  the  Bible;  and  be  our  character 
humble  or  proud,  holy  or  impure,  it  will  pro- 
duce relative  convictions  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  read  it.  We  cannot,  it  is  true, 
convince  them  of  their  depravity,  nor  destroy 
their  enmity  against  God;  but  we  shall  either 
weaken  or  strengthen  their  prejudices  by  the 
spirit  we  breathe.  If  we  profess  Christ,  and 
yet  walk  contrary  to  his  laws,  we  raise  in 
their  minds  a  doubt  of  our  sincerity,  or  lead 


CHRISTIAN    CONSISTENCY.  57 

them  to  question  the  truth  of  the  system  we 
have  embraced.     They  are  quick  to  discern 
our  failures;  and  by  a  trifling  inconsistency 
we  arm  them  with  weapons  which  they  are 
sure  successfully  to  employ  against  us.     As 
character  is  ascertained  by  little  things,  we 
cannot  be  too  cautious  of  its  general  indica- 
tions.    Much  circumspection,  too,  is  required 
in  the  familiar  interchanges  of  social  life,  lest 
by  a   word,  or   by  a   look,    we   eclipse   the 
beauty  and  destroy  the  harmony  of  the  truth 
we  seek  to  commend  to  those  about  us.     One 
false  step  may  lead  hundreds  astray;  and  one 
inconsistent  action  may  entirely  weaken  the 
force  of  an  argument  in  the  judgment  of  our 
enemies;  even  though  the  argument  be  one  of 
the  most  momentous   that  can  engage  their 
attention,  and  although  the  inconsistency   be 
one  of  the  most  trifling  ever  brought  under 
their  cognizance.     How  anxious,  then,  should 
we  be  to  adorn  the  doctrine  which  gives  to 
our   profession    all    its   interest,   and    all    its 
value! 

Let  me  here  point  out  a  few  of  those  mis- 
takes into  which    individuals   are  sometimes 


58  THE    GOSPEL    ADORXED    BY 

drawn,  and  which,  because  of  their  influence, 
are  opposed  to  consistency. 

There  are  a  number  of  persons  who,  in  their 
zeal  to  maintain  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel, 
almost  entirely  neglect  precept.  Practical 
preaching,  even  though  it  be  in  conformity  to 
the  ministry  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  is  not 
at  all  palatable;  and  there  are  even  preachers 
of  the  word  who  encourage  opposition  to  an 
honest  enforcement  of  God's  statutes.  In 
some,  this  arises  from  an  unsanctified  heart, 
which,  being  in  love  with  sin,  cannot  bear  its 
exposure;  in  others,  from  a  concern  for  the 
glory  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  out  of  whose  hands, 
it  is  said,  practical  preachers  attempt  to  take 
his  work;  but  in  all,  it  is  the  effect  of  partial 
and  perverted  views  of  truth.  They  will 
not  search  the  Scriptures  on  the  subject;  but, 
hastily  adopting  the  creed  of  a  party,  and 
which  is  to  them  an  infallible  standard  of 
judgment,  they  condemn,  or  pity,  all  who 
differ  from  them;  and  sacrifice  the  harmony 
of  the  Gospel  to  the  demands  of  sectarian 
bigotry. 

Then,  then1   are  others  who  fly  to  the  op- 


CHRISTIAN    CONSISTENCY.  59 

posite  extreme.  Not  approving  of  doctrine 
themselves,  they  censure  all  who  do;  and 
avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  both  in  their 
preaching  and  hearing,  any  distinct  or  specific 
allusion  to  the  truth  for  which  the  reformers 
bled.  Sincere  these  persons  may  be ;  but 
they  are  certainly  in  error.  If  God  intended 
that  his  people  should  either  neglect  or  des- 
pise doctrine,  he  would  not  have  revealed  it; 
or  he  would,  by  some  line  of  demarcation, 
have  limited  our  faith.  Besides,  practical 
godliness  must  be  sustained  by  motive,  as 
well  as  governed  by  rule;  and  where  are 
motives  to  holy  obedience  to  be  found,  if  not 
in  "  the  doctrine  which  is  according  to  godli- 
ness/' 

"  Christianity,"  says  a  writer,  "  must  be 
embraced  entirely,  if  it  be  received  at  all.  It 
must  be  taken  without  mutilation,  as  a  perfect 
scheme,  in  the  way  in  which  God  has  been 
pleased  to  reveal  it.  It  must  be  accepted,  not 
as  exhibiting  beautiful  parts,  but  as  presenting 
one  consummate  whole,  the  perfection  of 
which  arises  from  coherence  and  dependence, 
from  relation  and  consistency.  Its  powers 
will  be  weakened,  and  its  energy  destroyed, 
7* 


60  THE    GOSPEL    ADORNED    BY 

if  every  caviller  pull  out  a  pin.  There  is  no 
breaking  this  system  into  portions,  of  which 
we  are  at  liberty  to  choose  one  and  reject  the 
other:  there  is  no  separating  the  precepts 
from  the  doctrines,  nor  the  doctrines  from  the 
precepts. 

"  The  practice  of  religion  will  always  thrive 
in  proportion  as  its  doctrines  are  generally 
understood,  and  firmly  believed:  and  the 
practice  will  degenerate  and  decay,  in  pro- 
portion as  the  doctrine  is  misunderstood  and 
neglected .  It  is  true,  therefore,  that  it  is  the 
great  duty  of  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  to  press 
the  practice  of  its  precepts,  on  the  consciences 
of  men:  but  then,  it  is  equally  true,  that  it  is 
his  duty  to  enforce  this  practice  in  a  particular 
way,  namely,  by  inculcating  its  doctrines. 
The  motives  which  the  revealed  doctrines  fur- 
nish, are  the  only  motives  he  has  to  do  with, 
and  the  only  motives  by  which  religious  duty 
can  be  effectually  enforced.  Genuine  faith  in 
the  doctrines  of  grace  uniformly  promotes 
practical  and  experimental  religion.  It  is 
from  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  that  Chris- 
tians derive  peace  in  trouble,  strength  in 
weakness,  comfort  in  life,  and  hope  in  death.'" 


CHRISTIAN    CONSISTENCY.  6l 

Others,  again,  shun  doctrine,  and  the  minis- 
try that  unfolds  and  enforces  it,  because  it  has 
been  applied  to  purposes  of  licentiousness;  and 
because  a  professed  attachment  to  it  has  some- 
times been  a  cloak  to  dishonesty  and  crime. 
This,  however,  is  unwise.  For  the  same 
reason  that  timid  minds  avoid  the  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel,  might  we  refuse  to  use  the  bless- 
ings of  a  kind  and  gracious  Providence. 
Food  and  clothing,  money  and  social  inter- 
course, have  all  been  abused  to  the  injury  and 
death  of  thousands;  but  who  would,  on  this 
account,  become  a  recluse,  or  cease  to  eat  and 
drink?  The  abuse  of  a  principle  is  no  argu- 
ment against  its  utility;  nor  any  good  reason 
why  it  should  be  discarded.  That  persons 
hold  the  truth  in  ungodliness  is  a  mournful 
fact ;  but  does  this  justify  an  abandonment  of 
truth  altogether?  Or  are  we  from  hence  to 
infer,  that  all  who  embrace  it  must  necessarily 
live  unholily  ?  We  must  distinguish  between 
the  legitimate  tendency  of  a  doctrine,  and  the 
result  of  its  perversion;  and  if  it  be  essentially 
holy  in  its  nature,  and,  therefore,  sanctifying 
in  its  influence,  why  should  we  avoid  it  be- 
cause ungodly  men  wrest  it  to  their  own  de- 


62  THE  GOSPEL    ADORNED  BY 

struction?  The  sinfulness  of  the  proud  pro- 
fessor, who,  though  he  boasts  of  his  eternal 
election  to  life,  is  indifferent  about  that  purity 
of  heart  which  is  an  evidence  of  God's  love, 
is  no  valid  objection  to  the  doctrine  he  main- 
tains. The  truth  is  good,  and  when  rightly 
used  will  produce  whatever  is  lovely  in  tem- 
per, and  consistent  in  practice ;  but  he  abuses 
it,  and  therefore  obscures  its  glory,  and  es- 
capes its  control. 

St.  Paul,  in  the  first  epistle  to  Timothy, 
the  first  chapter,  and  at  the  ninth  verse,  draw- 
ing a  catalogue  of  sins,  against  which  the  de- 
nunciations of  the  law  are  most  eminently 
levelled,  closes  the  list  with  these  words — 
'  Jlnd  if  there  be  any  other  thing  that  is 
contrary  to  sound  doctrine?  A  plain  inti- 
mation that  error  in  principles  fundamental 
has  a  very  unfavourable  influence  upon  practi- 
cal; and  that,  in  proportion  as  the  doctrines 
of  God  are  disbelieved,  the  commandments  of 
God  will  be  disobeyed.  Doctrinals,  therefore, 
are  not  of  that  small  significance  which  the  in- 
judicious and  the  heterodox  affect  to  give  out. 
For,  though,  matters  of  doctrine  are  by  some 
considered  merely  as  the  shell  of  religion,  and 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY.  63 

experience  only  as  the  kernel,  yet  let  it  be 
remembered  that  there  is  no  coming  at  the 
kernel  but  through  the  shell;  and  while  the 
kernel  gives  value  to  the  shell,  the  shell  is  the 
guardian  of  the  kernel.  Destroy  that,  and 
you  injure  this. 

The  apostle  stamps  the  evangelical  doc- 
trines with  the  seal  of  dignity,  usefulness,  and 
importance,  as  is  evident  from  the  epithet  he 
makes  use  of:  he  calls  the  system  of  Gospel 
truths,  sound  doctrine;  salutary,  health-giv- 
ing doctrine:  not  only  right  and  sound  in  it- 
self, but  conducing  to  the  spiritual  strength 
and  health  of  those  that  receive  it;  doctrine 
that  operates  like  -some  efficacious  restorative 
on  an  exhausted  constitution;  that  renders  the 
sin-sick  souls  of  men  healthy,  vigorous,  and 
thriving;  that  causes  them,  through  the  bless- 
ing of  Divine  grace,  to  grow  as  the  lily,  and 
to  cast  forth  the  root  as  Lebanon;  to  revive  as 
the  corn,  and  to  nourish  as  the  vine;  to  diffuse 
their  branches,  and  rival  the  olive  tree  in 
beauty  and  fruitfulness.  On  the  other  hand, 
unsound  doctrine  has  the  opposite  effects.  It 
impoverishes  our  views  of  God;  withers  our 
hopes;  makes  our  faith  languid;  blasts  our  spi- 


64  THE  GOSPEL  ADORNED  BY 

ritual  enjoyments;  and  lays  the  very  axe  to 
the  root  of  Christian  obedience. 

Others,  again,  are  deeply  concerned  to  walk 
worthy  of  their  holy  calling,  without  any  ac- 
knowledgment of  doctrine;  as  if  the  precepts 
they  are  to  obey,  had  no  relation  to  the  doc- 
trines they  are  to  believe.  Conscious  of  their 
obligations,  they  attempt  to  discharge  them; 
but  having  no  accurate  knowledge  of  the  truth 
out  of  which  they  arise,  they  toil  hard  with- 
out bringing  any  glory  to  God.  Their  mo- 
tives are  legalized,  and  their  actions,  in  conse- 
quence, though  numerous  and  splendid,  are 
scarcely  evangelical.  The  great  point  of  con- 
sideration with  us  should  be,  to  exhibit  truth 
in  all  its  fair  and  lovely  proportions;  that  hav- 
ing studied  the  Bible,  under  the  teaching  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  we  may  become  "  the  living 
epistles  of  Christ,  known  and  read  of  all  men." 
We  have  no  authority  for  transposing  either 
doctrine  or  precept;  or  for  giving  an  undue, 
and  therefore  an  unscriptural  prominency  to 
any  favourite  truth.  To  be  partial,  either  in 
our  views  or  our  attachments,  is  to  reflect  on 
Divine  Wisdom  for  not  systematically  arrang- 
ing his  thoughts  and  purposes  to  meet  our  pe- 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY.  65 

culiar  predilections.  What  right  have  we  to 
think  of  disturbing  the  order  in  which  he  has 
placed  the  privileges  we  are  to  enjoy,  and  the 
duties  we  are  to  discharge?  And  what  occa- 
sion is  there  for  attempting  this  moral  outrage, 
which  not  only  mars  the  beauty  of  truth,  but 
which  even  destroys  its  adaptation  to  relieve 
and  bless  us?  Truth  ceases  to  be  truth,  out 
of  its  connexion;  and  if  we  destroy  its  pro- 
portions, by  giving  an  undue  importance  to 
either  of  its  component  parts,  we  devise  a 
scheme  which,  if  it  operate  at  all,  must  injure, 
but  can  never  bless  us.  If  we  bestow  upon 
one  doctrine,  or  upon  one  precept,  the  atten- 
tion and  love  which  ought  to  be  equalized 
upon  twenty ;  or  if,  out  of  any  given  number 
of  truths,  alike  Divine,  and  therefore  possess- 
ing equal  claims  upon  our  faith,  we  select  a 
few,  and  reject  the  rest,  we  destroy  the  pro- 
per influence  of  all.  One  truth,  however  im- 
portant it  may  be,  is  only  a  link  in  the  chain 
of  salvation,  and  is  of  use  only  in  its  connexion 
with  other  truths;  and  by  sectarian  partiality 
for  either  a  doctrine  or  a  precept,  we  break 
that  connexion,  and  bring  ourselves  under  an 


66  THE    GOSPEL    ADORNED  BY 

influence,  which,  as  it  is  partial  in  its  charac- 
ter, cannot  be  universal  in  its  control. 

The  several  parts  of  the  human  body  are 
not  more  wisely  adjusted  than  are  the  truths 
of  the  Gospel;  and  if  any  of  these  physical  or 
moral  dependencies  are  destroyed,  the  results, 
in  either  case,  are  most  deeply  affecting.  The 
balance  of  truth,  like  that  of  the  mind,  must 
be  preserved,  or  a  theological  aberration  will 
ensue;  and  the  reason  why  the  growth  of  piety 
in  the  hearts  of  some  is  unsound,  irregular, 
and  uncertain,  is,  that  it  is  fed  with  only  one 
sort  of  moral  aliment,  and  is  subject  either  to 
no  discipline  at  all,  or  to  the  reckless  guidance 
of  accidental  circumstances.  The  man,  and 
not  a  part  of  the  man,  but  the  whole  man, 
must  be  both  subdued  and  trained;  and  to  se- 
cure this,  the  whole  moral  machinery  of  truth 
must  be  employed,  and  not  a  part  of  it:  the 
doctrine,  as  well  as  the  precept;  the  precept, 
as  well  as  the  doctrine.  What  an  unlovely, 
unsightly  monster  have  some  religious  vota- 
ries held  out  to  the  world's  view,  which,  in- 
stead of  alluring,  has  repulsed  it!  And  yet, 
what  moral  object  can  be  more  beautiful  than 
revealed  truth!     And  when  her  symmetry  is 


CHRISTIAN    CONSISTENCY.  67 

fairly  and  fully  represented  by  a  holy  and  con- 
sistent life,  if  her  enemies  are  not  won,  they 
are  silenced.  Let  there  be  a  perfect  and  uni- 
form agreement  between  the  church  of  God 
and  the  word  of  God,  and  the  cause  of  religion 
will  occupy  a  vantage  ground,  from  which  the 
puny  efforts  of  a  disgusting  scepticism,  and  a 
reckless  infidelity  will  never  be  able  to  remove 
her.  But  as  long  as  there  remains  an  obvious 
discrepancy  between  the  truth  revealed  and 
the  conduct  of  the  persons  who  profess  to  love 
it,  its  divinity  will  be  questioned,  and  its  au- 
thority denied. 

But  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  are  to  be 
adorned  experimentally,  as  well  as  practically. 
And  by  experience,  I  mean  that  trial  of  Divine 
things  which  produces  knowledge  of  their 
worth,  and  issues  in  holy  enjoyment  of  them. 
We  prove  a  truth  when  we  submit  it  to  a  test 
which  has  the  power  of  ascertaining  its  cha- 
racter; and  as  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  relates, 
both  in  its  professions  and  operations,  to  the 
conversion  of  the  heart  to  God,  and  its  subse- 
quent fellowship  with  God;  and  is,  at  the  same 
time,  the  instrument  by  which  this  change  is 
effected;  those  who  have  passed  from  death 
8 


68  THE  GOSPEL  ADORNED  BY 

unto  life,  and  are  brought  into  the  liberty  of 
the  Gospel,  have,  in  their  own  consciences, 
a  witness  of  the  truth,  of  which  none  of 
their  enemies  can  dispossess  them,  and  which 
amounts  to  a  positive,  personal  experience  of 
the  grace  of  God.  We  may  argue  much,  and 
experience  nothing;  and  experience  a  great 
deal,  and  be  unable  to  argue  at  all.  Judgment 
and  love,  as  attributes  of  the  human  mind,  are 
not  more  distinct,  than  are  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience in  the  Christian  heart.  There  can  be 
no  experience  without  knowledge;  "for  grace 
and  peace  are  multiplied  through  the  know- 
ledge of  God,  and  of  Jesus  our  Lord;-*'  (1  Pet. 
i.  2;)  but  there  may  be  knowledge  without 
experience.  Christianity  may  be  studied  as 
any  other  system  may  be;  and  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible for  a  man  to  defend  the  truth  by  argu- 
ment, while  he  is  destitute  of  its  converting 
power.  Without  experience,  therefore,  man 
walks  in  darkness,  though  surrounded  by  light; 
and  is  no  more  savingly  acquainted  with  the 
Gospel,  than  the  confirmed  infidel,  or  the  su- 
perstitious heathen. 

The  doctrines  of  grace,  be  it  remembered, 
are  submitted  to   us,  not  for  logical,  but  for 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY.  69 

moral  demonstration.  Some  persons  delight 
to  occupy  the  arena  of  controversy,  and  to 
solve  the  truth  with  all  the  nicety  of  mathe- 
matical accuracy;  and  who  would  not  "  con- 
tend for  the  faith  which  was  once  delivered  to 
the  saints?"  "  Buy  the  truth,  and  sell  it  not." 
(Pr.  xxiii.  23.)  But  the  purchase  and  con- 
tention are  not  to  be  for  their  own  sake;  the 
ulterior  object,  and  to  which  all  other  conside- 
rations are  to  be  in  subordination,  is  the  sanc- 
tification  and  joy  of  the  heart;  for  if  a  man  is 
unrenewed  in  the  spirit  of  his  mind,  what  will 
his  knowledge  profit  him  ?  The  love  of  God 
the  Father  is  shed  abroad  in  the  heart,  and  is 
thus  known  and  enjoyed:  (Rom.  v.  5;  2 
Thess.  iii.  5:)  the  atonement  of  God  the  Son 
is  received;  and  thus  his  propitiatory  sacrifice 
avails,  not  only  for  our  pardon,  but  for  our 
health  and  purity:  (Rom.  v.  11:)  and  the  in- 
fluences of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  are  all  brought 
to  bear  upon  our  souls  for  their  life  and  holi- 
ness; and  thus  his  work  is  both  felt  and  ap- 
proved. (Rom.  viii.  9 — 11.)  There  can  be 
no  delightful  experience  without  a  knowledge 
of  the  doctrines  of  grace.  Many  Christians 
have  very  deep  conviction  of  their  deserts, 


70  THE  GOSPEL  ADORNED  BY 

who  have  but  little  hope  of  their  safety;  and 
as  joy  and  peace  flow  from  the  cross  only,  we 
must  come  "  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  and  to 
Jesus,  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant," 
before  we  can  be  happy  in  the  love  of  God. 
One  man  gazes  upon  the  tree  of  life,  but  is 
tempted  by  Satan  to  believe  that  it  grows  not 
for  him;  and  another,  with  stronger  faith, 
plucks  its  fruit,  and  reposes  under  its  shadow. 
We  must  live  upon  the  doctrines  of  the  Gos- 
pel, to  be  strengthened  and  refreshed  by  them. 
And  are  they  not  the  very  life  and  glory  of 
our  experience?  They  bring  the  whole  man 
under  a  Divine  and  commanding  influence, 
which,  while  it  relieves  the  conscience  of  guilt, 
and  awakens  and  sustains  a  hope  of  glory,  bears 
us  onwards  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  to 
light  more  pure,  and  to  freedom  more  perfect. 
But  what  experience  adorns  the  doctrine  of 
God  our  Saviour?  Not  that  which  is  dark 
and  dreary,  but  that  which  is  full  of  love  and 
full  of  heaven.  Earthly-mindedness,  discon- 
tentment, unbelief,  and  slavish  fear,  dishonour 
the  doctrine,  because  this  state  of  mind  is  op- 
posed as  much  to  the  promises,  as  it  is  to  the 
directions  of  the  Gospel.     "  The  Lord  hath 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY.  71 

pleasure  in  the  prosperity  of  his  servants ;" 
(Ps.  xxxv.  27;)  and  the  comfort  and  well- 
being  of  the  flock  proclaim  not  only  the  care 
of  the  Shepherd,  but  the  richness  of  the  pas- 
ture in  which  they  feed.  And  if  our  expe- 
rience does  not  adorn  the  doctrine,  it  is  be- 
cause we  do  not  apply  it  to  its  legitimate  uses; 
for  unless  we  eat  it  as  food,  use  it  as  medicine, 
and  wear  it  as  clothing,  it  cannot  enrich  us, 
neither  can  we  show  forth  its  praises.  If  our 
experience  were  laid  open  to  public  view, 
would  it  reflect  honour  on  the  truth  ?  Would 
our  acquirements  in  Divine  knowledge  accre- 
dit the  wisdom  of  our  Tutor?  And  would 
men  have  to  admire  the  cause,  by  discovering 
the  glory  of  its  effects  ?  If  we  are  cold  and 
lifeless,  we  bring  the  Gospel  into  disrepute; 
and  induce  our  observers  to  question  either 
the  truth  of  the  promises,  or  the  faithfulness 
of  the  Promiser.  Many  inquirers  after  salva- 
tion are  discouraged  by  the  apparent  indiffer- 
ence, or  by  the  palpable  inconsistencies  of 
those  who  have  trod  the  path  before  them. 
When  listening  to  a  daring,  dogmatical  preach- 
er, or  when  conversing  with  hearers  of  this 
description,  they  ask,  with  surprise — "What 
.       S* 


72  THE  GOSPEL  ADORNED  BY 

has  the  truth  done  for  these  men,  what  do  they 
do  more  than  others?  Where  is  that  sweet- 
ness of  disposition,  that  condescending  atten- 
tion to  others'  woes,  that  simplicity  of  design, 
that  dignity  of  thought  and  feeling,  that  meek- 
ness and  gentleness  of  Christ,  which  we  have 
been  assured  are  the  distinguishing  peculiari- 
ties of  the  followers  of  the  Lamb?  Alas!  we 
see  but  little  to  admire,  and  much  to  condemn; 
and  if  these  are  the  natural,  or  inevitable  re- 
sults of  receiving  the  truth  into  the  judgment 
and  heart,  then  let  me  for  ever  be  delivered 
from  its  influence."  "  0  my  soul,  come  not 
thou  into  their  secret;  unto  their  assembly, 
mine  honour,  be  not  thou  united."  (Gen.  xlix. 
6.)  There  is  often  so  much  bitter  zeal  on  the 
one  hand,  and  such  heartless  and  freezing  for- 
mality on  the  other,  that  young  disciples  have 
sometimes  been  driven  away  from  the  truth 
they  ought  to  have  received,  by  the  injudici- 
ousness  and  unkindness  of  those  who  have 
attempted  to  unfold  it.  But  when  we  con- 
verse with  men  who  have  the  mind  of  Christ, 
and  whose  uniform  consistency  proves  their 
saving  acquaintance  with  his  Gospel,  we  are 
led  to  exclaim — "  If  such  be  the  peace,  the 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY.  73 

joy,  and  the  humility,  that  naturally  results 
from  a  reception  of  the  truth,  when  the  truth 
has  its  full  and  proper  influence  upon  the  cha- 
racter, let  me  receive  it;  that  this  humility, 
and  joy,  and  peace,  and  love,  may  be  mine." 
Wherefore,  brethren,  seek  to  adorn  the  doc- 
trine of  God  your  Saviour  by  an  experience  of 
its  life  and  power;  and  by  a  consistent,  con- 
scientious discharge  of  the  duties  it  involves. 

"  So  let  our  lips  and  lives  express 
The  holy  Gospel  we  profess; 
So  let  our  works  and  virtues  shine, 
To  prove  the  doctrine  all  Divine. 

Thus  shall  we  best  proclaim  abroad 
The  honours  of  our  Saviour,  God ; 
While  the  salvation  reigns  within, 
And  grace  subdues  the  power  of  sin." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    ORDER    OF    DIVINE    COMMUNICATIONS    TO    THE    SOULS    OF 
MEN,  AND  THE  USE  TO  BK  MADE  OF  THE  WORD  OF  GOD. 

It  was  stated,  in  the  introductory  chapter, 
that  God  has  his  prescribed  order  of  blessing 
his  people,  and  that  out  of  that  order  no  man 


74  THE  ORDER  OF 

can  expect  to  be  blessed ; — a  proposition  which, 
it  is  believed,  although  not  distinctly  denied, 
is  but  imperfectly  understood  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  professed  followers  of  the  Saviour: 
hence  their  depression  of  soul  on  the  one  hand, 
and  their  manifest  inconsistencies  on  the  other. 
Some  consideration,  therefore,  of  the  means 
and  the  end,  appears  to  be  necessary ;  "  For  I 
fear,  lest  by  any  means,  as  the  serpent  beguil- 
ed Eve  through  his  subtilty,  so  your  minds 
should  be  corrupted  from  the  simplicity  that 
is  in  Christ."     (2  Cor.  xi.  3.) 

It  must  be  remembered,  that  absolute  and 
unconditional  promises  abound  in  the  Scrip- 
tures; and  that,  but  for  their  fulfilment,  no 
soul  would  ever  be  saved.  "Thou  wilt  say 
then  unto  me,  Why  doth  he  yet  find  fault? 
for  who  hath  resisted  his  will  ?  Nay  but,  0 
man,  who  art  thou  that  repliest  against  God  ? 
Shall  the  thing  formed  say  to  him  that  formed 
it,  Why  hast  thou  made  me  thus  ?  Hath  not 
the  potter  power  over  the  clay,  of  the  same 
lump  to  make  one  vessel  unto  honour,  and 
another  unto  dishonour  ?  What  if  God,  wil- 
ling to  show  his  wrath,  and  to  make  his  power 
known,  endured  with  much  long-suffering  the 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C.  75 

vessels  of  wrath  fitted  to  destruction;  and  that 
he  might  make  known  the  riches  of  his  glory 
on  the  vessels  of  mercy,  which  he  had  afore 
prepared  unto  glory,  even  us  whom  he  hath 
called,  not  of  the  Jews  only,  but  also  of  the 
Gentiles  ?  As  he  saith  also  in  Osee,  I  will 
call  them  my  people  which  were  not  my 
people;  and  her  beloved,  which  was  not  be- 
loved."  (Rom.  ix.  19—25.) 

Who  then  can  deny  the  absolute  right  of 
God  to  give  grace,  or  to  withhold  it,  as 
he  pleases?  And  who  can  dispute  the  un- 
conditional character  of  his  promises  ?  His 
creatures  owe  him  every  thing,  but  he  owes 
them  nothing;  and  if,  in  the  exercise  of  his 
righteous  and  sovereign  prerogative,  he  be- 
stows mercy  upon  one  man,  how  can  he  in- 
flict positive  injury  by  withholding  it  from 
another?  Especially  as  those  from  whom  it 
is  withheld  neglect  the  gift,  and  despise  the 
Giver.  Grace  is  the  fountain  of  salvation, 
and  sin  the  cause  of  damnation.  God's  pur- 
pose is  to  rescue  a  given  number  of  the  human 
race  from  eternal  death;  and  man's  purpose  is 
to  live  without  God  in  this  world,  although  it 
expose   him   to  his  wrath  in  another.      But 


76  THE    ORDER    OF 

this  part  of  Divine  truth,  though  awfully  in- 
teresting, is  not  that  with  which  we  are  now 
immediately  concerned.  We  are  anxious  to 
ascertain  God's  prescribed  order  of  blessing 
his  people,  subsequently  to  their  regeneration, 
that  we  may  seek,  in  his  own  way,  the  peace 
and  the  rest  he  has  promised,  and  go  forth  in 
his  strength  to  discharge  our  duties. 

"  And  is  not  this,"  you  will  say,  "  the 
settled  desire  of  our  hearts?  Do  we  not  al- 
ready seek  his  favour,  and  the  supplies  of  his 
Spirit,  that,  having  our  hearts  enlarged,  we 
may  run  in  the  way  of  his  commandments?" 
Still,  we  fear  that  our  impressions  of  personal 
obligation  are  too  feeble,  and  our  views  of 
practical  godliness  too  indistinct,  to  issue  in 
any  thing  like  a  universal  and  an  impartial  at- 
tention to  his  revealed  will.  Chapters  after 
chapters  of  the  Bible  may  be  read;  but  unless 
each  chapter  and  each  verse  be  examined,  and 
their  connexion  with  other  verses  and  other 
chapters  ascertained,  reading  cannot  savingly 
profit  us.  A  sound  theologian  is  not  he  who 
has  taken  only  a  cursory  view  of  theological 
subjects,  or  who  has  given  to  some  favourite 
theme  special  consideration,  passing  by  others 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C.  77 

of  equal  importance;  and  he  cannot  be  a  con- 
sistent Christian  who  does  not,  so  far  as  cir- 
cumstances and  opportunities  require,  devote 
himself  unreservedly  to  his  relative  obliga- 
tions. Much  ignorance  prevails  upon  the 
connexion  of  precept  and  promise,  as  parts  of 
revealed  truth;  and  upon  the  necessity  of 
obeying  the  one,  in  order  to  be  blessed  by  the 
fulfilment  of  the  other,  as  points  of  Christian 
experience.  Not  only  is  much  time  and  effort 
lost  by  an  unwise  application  of  our  energies 
for  the  attainment  of  important  blessings,  but 
we  actually  impoverish  our  souls  by  the  very 
means  we  employ  to  enrich  them.  The  peo- 
ple of  God,  generally  speaking,  are,  if  words 
mean  any  thing,  concerned  to  receive  and  to 
enjoy  what  he  has  promised  them;  and  yet, 
with  all  their  anxiety,  and  it  cannot  be  too  in- 
tense, they  seldom  pursue,  with  uniform  con- 
sistency, the  course  he  has  prescribed,  and  in 
which  he  has  assured  them  of  the  manifesta- 
tions of  his  presence.  "  Thou  meetest  him 
that  rejoiceth,  and  worketh  righteousness ; 
those  that  remember  thee  in  thy  ways."  (Is. 
lxiv.  5.)  But  if  we  choose  our  own  path, 
and  follow  our  own  devices  in  the  pursuit  of 


78  THE    ORDER    OF 

good,  we  shall  wander  where  God  has  not 
promised  to  meet  us.  And  it  must  not  be 
said  that  our  departure  from  the  precept, 
which  is  the  invariable  rule  of  our  conduct, 
is  excusable  on  the  grounds  of  human  folly  and 
human  weakness.  In  ourselves,  indeed,  we 
are  as  unable  to  discover  what  is  right,  as  to 
do  what  is  right;  and  had  God  left  us  without 
information  and  help,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  us  to  know  and  do  his  will.  But  he  has 
given  us  counsel  and  promised  us  strength; 
and  we  never  fail  to  render  acceptable  obe- 
dience, except  when  the  one  is  neglected,  and 
the  other  despised.  The  word  of  God  and 
the  Spirit  of  God  must  both  be  honoured,  or 
we  shall  err  in  our  judgment  of  truth,  and  fail 
in  our  attempts  to  practise  it;  but  the  more 
minutely  we  examine  the  former,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining,  that  we  may  do,  the  will 
of  the  latter,  the  more  likely  are  we  to  suc- 
ceed in  our  efforts  to  glorify  God. 

But  who  does  not  perceive  that  many  seek 
to  be  enriched  and  satisfied,  not  in  God's  way, 
but  in  their  own  ?  entirely  overlooking,  I  will 
not  say  several  important  directions  placed  in 
different  and  distant  parts  of  the  Divine  word, 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C.  79 

but  even  parts  of  the  same  verse,  from  which 
they  seek  their  enjoyment;  and  thus  they 
sigh  in  adversity,  when,  by  the  help  of  the 
Spirit,  if  they  were  wise  to  discern  the  vehicle 
intended  to  convey  their  blessings,  they  might 
triumph  in  prosperity.  It  is  not,  however, 
enough  for  them  to  discern  the  character  and 
adaptation  of  truth ;  they  must  reduce  all  its 
principles  to  practice;  and  that,  too,  not  gene- 
rally or  superficially,  but  each  principle  must 
be  separately  demonstrated,  to  secure  the  re- 
sults for  which  all  are  established. 

This,  it  may  be  said,  is  imposing  a  needless 
task  on  those  who  strive  for  liberty  and  rest, 
and  one  for  which  they  have  neither  time  nor 
strength.  So  far  is  this  from  being  the  case, 
however,  and  so  directly  are  these  surmisings 
opposed  to  the  truth,  that  but  for  the  weak  in 
faith,  who  often  err  without  being  conscious 
of  it,  we  should  not  pause  to  notice  them;  but 
as  some  such  train  of  thought  is  pursued 
by  unestablished  believers,  it  is  but  right  to 
guard  them  against  it  as  anti-scriptural  in  its 
character,  and  dangerous  in  its  influence.  To 
say  that  Christ's  commandments  are  grievous, 
or  that  under  no  circumstances  has  the  Chris- 
9 


80  THE    ORDER    OF 

tian  either  time  or  strength  to  obey  them,  is 
to  deny  what  God  has  affirmed.  And  it  must 
be  remembered,  we  are  not  legislating  for  the 
church;  this  is  not  our  prerogative;  we  are 
only  interpreting  the  spirit,  by  examining  the 
letter  of  Christ's  law;  and  urging  obedience  in 
the  way  and  for  the  ends,  he  has  appointed. 
We  aim  at  nothing  more  than  this,  and  we  can 
be  satisfied  with  nothing  less. 

What,  then,  is  the  use  we  are  to  make  of 
God's  word,  and  the  truth  it  reveals?  Are 
we  merely  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  to  store 
our  minds  with  uninfluential  information  ? 
Was  the  Bible  written  for  our  amusement? 
Or,  are  we  at  liberty  to  choose  a  part,  and  to 
reject  the  rest  ?  "  All  Scripture  is  given  by 
inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doc- 
trine, for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruc- 
tion in  righteousness;  that  the  man  of  God 
may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all 
good  works."  (2  Tim.  iii.  16,  17.)  It  is  suf- 
ficient to  meet,  not  only  the  requirements  of 
its  Divine  Author,  but  all  the  necessities  of  his 
people;  and  as  we  may  question  the  divinity 
of  those  communications  which  flow  not 
through  the  word  of  God,  we  cannot  expect 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C.  81 

to  accomplish  the  Divine  will,  without  it. 
The  purposes  of  God  and  the  operations  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  are  to  secure  to  us  those 
blessings  for  which  we  pray  and  labour;  and 
the  objects  to  which  he  applies  his  word  are 
those  for  which  we  profess  to  use  it.  The 
power  which  renders  the  word  effectual,  is 
entirely  his  own;  but  whether  it  be  used  by 
him,  without  our  aid,  for  the  purpose  of  bless- 
ing us;  or  whether  we  use  it  by  his  counsel 
and  assistance,  for  his  glory  in  our  spiritual 
improvement;  in  either  case,  the  success  of  its 
application  may  be  expected. 

The  word,  however,  must  be  received  be- 
fore it  can  be  used,  and  used  before  its  utility 
can  be  known.  Observe  this  in  the  following 
citations.  "  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in 
you  richly,  in  all  wisdom."  (Col.  iii.  16.) 
"  Wherefore,  lay  apart  all  filthiness,  and  su- 
perfluity of  naughtiness,  and  receive  with 
meekness  the  engrafted  word,  which  is  able 
to  save  your  souls."  (Jam.  i.  21.)  "And  ye 
became  followers  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord,  hav- 
ing received  the  word  in  much  affliction,  with 
joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  (1  Thes.  i.  6.)  "  For 
this  cause  also  thank  we  God  without  ceasing, 


82  THE    ORDER    OP 

because,  when  ye  received  the  word  of  God 
which  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received  it  not  as 
the  word  of  men,  but,  as  it  is  in  truth,  the 
word  of  God,  which  effectually  worketh  also 
in  you  that  believe;"  (1  Thes.  ii.  13;)  "and 
which  bringeth  forth  fruit,  as  it  doth  also  in 
you,  since  the  day  ye  heard  of  it,  and  knew 
the  grace  of  God  in  truth."  (Col.  i.  6.) 

Now  observe,  further — the  graces  of  the 
Spirit  bear  a  distinct  relation  to  the  word  of 
God.  It  is  the  object  of  our  faith,  *  and 
love2 — the  foundation  and  source  of  our 
hope 3 — the  subject  of  our  delight 4 — the  cause 
of  our  joy 5 — and  its  promises  the  ultimate  end 
of  our  desires.6  You  must  also  bear  in  mind 
the  character  of  the  word.  It  is  true 7 — sure 
and  unfailing 8 — pure9 — and  powerful.10  But 
what  is  the  word,  in  its  adaptation  to  the  con- 

i  Rom.  x.  8—17.    John  xvii.  20.    2  Thes.  ii.  13. 
2  Ps.  cxix.  97.    Eph.  iv.  15.    2  Thes.  ii.  10. 
a  Ps.  cxix.  49, 114.  4  ps.  cxix.  16. 

s  Ps.  cxix.  62.     Pr.  xii.  25.    Jer.  xv.  16. 
e  Ps.  cxxx.  5.  Ps.  xliii.  3,  4.    '2  Cor.  i.  19, 20.  Tit.  i.  9. 
8  2  Pet.  i.  19.  Is.xl.  8.  Ps.  cxix.  89.   Ps.  c.  5.    1  Kings, 
viii.  56.  s  Ps.  cxix.  140.     Pro.  xxx.  5. 

">  Heb.  iv.  12.    Rom.  i.  16.    Luke  iv.  32. 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C.  83 

dition  and  wants  of  men?  It  is  compared  to 
food  1 — to  light 2 — to  seed 3 — to  a  sword 4 — to 
a  shield  5 — to  a  girdle6 — to  sandals7 — to  me- 
dicine 8 — and  to  rain.9  And  as  to  the  positive 
use  we  are  to  make  of  it,  it  is  our  plea  in 
prayer  10 — it  preserves  us  from  destruction  " 
— .it  purifies  the  heart 12 — it  promotes  our 
growth  in  stability  13 — it  is  our  counsellor14 — 
and  it  gives  liberty.15  By  it  we  are  born 
anew  lfl — we  are  quickened  by  it 17 — by  it  we 
arc  kept  from  sin  1S — we  are  led  by  it 19 — and 
by  it  we  are  tested,  and  shall  finally  be 
judged.20 

Such,  then,  is  the  character  of  the  word, 

1  Deut.  viii.  3.     Jer.  xv.  16.     Ps.  cxix.  103. 

2  2  Pet.  i.  19.     Ps.  cxix.  105.     Pr.  vi.  23. 

3  Mat.  xiii.  19—23.  *  Eph.  vi.  17.    Rev.  xii.  11. 
6  Ps.  xci.  4.            e  Eph.  vi.  14.  i  Eph.  vi.  15. 

s  Ps.  cvii.  20.  a  Deut.  xxxii.  2.     Is.  Iv.  10,  11. 

'o  Neh.  i.  8.  "  Ps.  xvii.  4.    Ps.  xl.  11.     Ps.  lxi.  7. 

»2  John  xv.  3.  xvii.  19.    Eph.  v.  26.     1  Tim.  iv.  5.     Ps. 
cxix.  9.     Pr.  xvi.  6.     1  Pet.  i.  22. 

'3  Acts  xx.  32.     1  Pet.  ii.  2.     1  Tim.  iv.  6. 
m  Ps.  cxix.  24,  133,  161.  15  John  viii.  32 

'6  1  Pet.  i.  23.  James  i.  18. 
17  Ps.  cxix.  50.  John  vi.  63. 
13  Ps.  cxix.  11  19  Pr.  vi.  22. 

20  Ps.  cv.  19.     Deut.  xxi.  5.    John  xii.  48,    Rev.  vx.  12. 
9* 


84  THE    ORDER    OP 

and  such  the  use  to  be  made  of  it;  and  if  it  be 
but  used  aright,  the  Divine  blessing  must  fol- 
low. "  Blessed  are  they  that  hear  the  word 
of  God,  and  keep  it."  (Luke  xi.  28.)  "  My 
mother  and  my  brethren  are  these  which  hear 
the  word  of  God,  and  do  it."  (Luke  viii.  21.) 
"  Then  said  Jesus  to  those  Jews  which  be- 
lieved on  him,  If  ye  continue  in  my  word, 
then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed."  (John  viii. 
31.)  "  If  a  man  keep  my  saying,  he  shall  ne- 
ver see  death."  (John  viii.  51.)  "Because 
thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also 
will  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation, 
which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world,  to  try 
them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth."  (Rev.  iii. 
10.) 

Seeing  then  that  so  much  stress  is  laid  upon 
receiving,  and  keeping  the  word  of  God;  de 
votedness  to  the  Divine  will  must  bring  with 
it  its  own  reward.  "  For  whoso  looketh  into 
the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  continueth 
therein,  he  being  not  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a 
doer  of  the  work,  this  man  shall  be  blessed  in 
his  deed."  (Jam.  i.  25.)  To  seek  any  bless- 
ing where  God  has  not  promised  it,  or  to  ex- 
pect good  by  other  means  than  those  he  has 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C.  85 

enjoined,  is  to  evince  a  total  disregard  to  his 
appointments.  And  it  will  be  found,  if  the 
Scriptures  be  carefully  examined,  that  the  or- 
der of  means  which  God  has  established,  is  in 
such  perfect  keeping  with  the  exercise  of  his 
love,  and  the  display  of  his  wisdom,  that  if  it 
be  properly  observed,  and  practically  sustain- 
ed, he  will  be  glorified,  and  we  must  be  en- 
riched. His  injunctions  and  prohibitions  sim- 
ply amount  to  a  direction  to  relinquish  what- 
ever is  opposed  to  the  prosperity  of  his  life  in 
our  souls,  and  to  seek,  by  communion  with 
the  Saviour,  as  well  in  the  path  of  obedience, 
as  at  the  throne  of  mercy,  whatever  will  pro- 
mote its  advancement.  "  This,  then,  is  the 
love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  commandments: 
and  his  commandments  are  not  grievous." 
(1  John  v.  3.)  We  may,  indeed,  be  called 
upon  to  sacrifice  many  of  our  outward  com- 
forts; and  we  must  crucify  the  flesh,  with  its 
affections  and  lusts;  but  in  doing  this,  we  are 
only  making  room  for  larger  communications 
of  his  blessing,  and  placing  ourselves  at  his 
feet  in  a  recipient  position.  "  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house, 
or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or 


86  THE    ORDER    OF 

wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  sake,  and 
the  gospel's,  but  he  shall  receive  an  hundred- 
fold now  in  this  time,  houses,  and  brethren, 
and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and 
lands,  with  persecutions;  and  in  the  world  to 
come  eternal  life."    (Mark  x.  29,  30.) 

God  never  impoverishes,  but  he  intends  to 
enrich;  and  he  never  counsels  without  design- 
ing our  happiness.  But  we  partly  forget,  or 
imperfectly  understand  this;  hence  our  sloth- 
fulness  in  doing  his  will,  and  our  indifference 
about  the  enjoyment  of  his  presence.  If  peace 
and  joy,  a  sense  of  pardoning  mercy,  and  the 
witness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  positively  and 
sincerely  desired,  how  is  it  that  they  are  not 
continually  sought  in  the  way  in  which  they 
may  be  found?  And  if  there  be  confidence  in 
God's  wisdom,  as  well  as  hope  in  his  mercy, 
how  is  it  that  the  details  of  his  precep- 
tive will  are  disregarded?  These  are  points 
which  each  Christian  should  prayerfully  exa- 
mine, and  these  are  tests  to  which  he  ought 
daily  to  submit  both  his  principles  and  his 
practice.  Are  we,  or  are  we  not,  seeking  the 
sustaining  and  sanctifying  consolations  of  the 
Gospel  in  God's  order?     If  we  are,  have  we 


DIVINE  COMMUNICATIONS,  &C  87 

found  them  ?  and  if  we  have  not  sought,  how 
dare  we  expect  them  ?  To  read,  and  under- 
stand, only,  will  issue  in  no  improvement;  but 
if  we  study  for  practical  purposes,  and  deter- 
mine in  Divine  strength  to  regulate  our  course, 
both  in  seeking  and  doing,  by  the  unerring 
oracles  of  truth,  a  better  order  of  feeling  will 
give  birth  to  a  nobler  class  of  actions,  and 
"  God  in  all  things  will  be  glorified  through 
Jesus  Christ."  "  0  that  thou  hadst  hearkened 
to  my  commandments!  then  had  thy  peace 
been  as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  as  the 
waves  of  the  sea."     (Is.  xlviii.  IS.) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED,    AND  THE  MEANS  OF  OBTAINING! 
THEM. 

The  safest  course  we  can  pursue,  is  to  select 
from  God's  word  some  of  those  passages  in 
which  the  means  and  the  end  are  united;  and 
by  a  careful  examination  of  the  subjoined  cita- 
tions it  will  be  seen,  that  between  the  recep- 
tion and  enjoyment  of  certain  blessings,  and 


88  BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED. 

the  state  of  the  heart  and  of  the  life  they  are 
intended  to  refresh  and  adorn,  there  is  a  close 
connexion.  Presuming  on  your  readiness  to 
search  the  Scriptures,  whether  these  things  be 
so,  the  passages  are  not  cited  at  full  length: 
you  will,  therefore,  it  is  hoped,  read  this  chap- 
ter with  your  Bibles  before  you;  and,  above 
all,  with  prayer  to  the  Holy  Spirit  for  his 
Divine  teaching.  If  you  would  realize  the 
glory  of  the  promise,  you  must  reduce  the 
precept  to  practice;  and  you  must  not  think 
that  the  blessings  are  too  numerous  to  be  en- 
joyed, or  that  the  means  are  too  arduous  to  be 
used — "For  all  things  are  yours;"  (1  Cor.  iii. 
21;)  and  "all  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth."  (Mark  ix.  23.)  You  will  here 
ascertain  how  God  intends  to  supply  all  your 
need,  according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by 
Christ  Jesus.    (Phil.  iv.  19.) 

Access  to  the  grace  of  justification  and  to  all 
the  blessings  of  a  justified  state,  is  by  faith 
alone.  (Rom.  v.  1,  2.)  To  abide  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Almighty,  you  must  dwell  in 
the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High;  (Ps.  xci. 
1;)  and  that  you  may  continue  in  the  Son,  and 
in  the  Father,  the  truth  of  the  Cospcl  must 


BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED.  89 

abide  in  your  hearts.  (1  John  ii.  24.)  Afflic- 
tions will  work  for  you  an  eternal  weight  of 
glory— not  at  all  times — but  when  you  con- 
template, and  affectionately  regard  heavenly 
and  eternal  things;  (2  Cor.  iv.  17,  IS;)  and 
spiritual  blessings  are  apprehended,  only  when 
they  are  ardently  pursued.  (Phil.  iii.  12.) 
By  your  drawing  nigh  to  God,  God  will  draw 
nigh  to  you;  (James  iv.  8;)  by  keeping  his 
commandments,  and  by  loving,  not  in  word 
only,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth,  and  by  a  know- 
ledge of  the  things  which  are  written  in  the 
Scriptures,  you  are  to  be  assured  of  your  in- 
terest in  Christ.  (1  John  ii.  3;  iii.  18,  19; 
v.  13.) 

To  be  beautified  with  salvation,  you  must 
be  meek  in  spirit;  (Ps.  cxlix.  4;)  to  be  bold 
for  the  truth  before  your  enemies,  you  must 
commune  with  Christ;  (Acts  iv.  13;)  and  to 
be  blameless  in  life,  and  unblameable  before 
God  in  holiness,  you  must  avoid  murmurings 
and  disputings,  and  abound  in  brotherly  love. 
(Phil.  ii.  14,  15.  1  Thess.  iii.  12,  13.)  The 
comfort  of  the  heart  is  promoted  by  spiritual 
intercourse  with  faithful  ministers;  (Eph.  vi. 
22;)  by  the  prospect  of  Christ's  second  com- 


90  BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED. 

ing;  (1  Thess.  iv.  18;)  and  by  a  firm  faith  in 
the  oath  and  promise  of  God.  (Heb.  vi.  17, 
IS.)  Gainsayers  are  to  be  convinced  by  your 
folding  fast  the  faithful  word;  (Tit.  i.  9,  13;) 
and  with  well-doing  you  are  to  put  to  silence 
the  ignorance  of  foolish  men.  (1  Pet.  ii.  15.) 
The  crown  of  life  is  promised  to  those,  and  to 
those  only,  who  endure  temptation,  and  are 
faithful  unto  death.  (James  i.  12.  Rev.  ii. 
10.)  You  must  walk  in  the  light,  to  be  chil- 
dren of  light;  (John  xii.  35,  36;)  and  to  have 
boldness  in  the  day  of  judgment,  you  must 
abide  in  Christ.  (1  John  ii.  28.)  Deliverance 
from  death,  domestic  happiness,  a  knowledge 
of  God's  covenant,  satisfaction  and  delight  of 
soul,  and  the  teachings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  are 
all  connected  with  the  existence  and  exercise 
of  God's  fear.  (Ps.  xxxiii.  18,  19.  cxxviii. 
xxxiv.  9,  10.  xxv.  12 — 14.)  Exaltation, 
abundance  of  grace,  and  revivals  of  religion, 
are  promised  to  the  humble.  (James  iv.  6, 
10.     Isa.  lvii.    15.) 

Deadness  to  the  world  is  by  the  cross  of 
Christ;  (Gal.  vi.  14;)  deliverance  from  the 
world  is  by  fellowship  with  the  Saviour's 
death;  (Gal.  i.  4;)  and  victory  over  the  world 


BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED.  91 

is  by  faith  in  Jesus.  (1  John  v.  4.)  To  be 
delivered  from  trouble,  you  must  call  upon 
God;  (Ps.  1.  15;)  to  dwell  safely  from  the  fear 
of  evil,  you  must  hearken  to  the  voice  of  God; 
(Pro.  i.  33;)  and  to  have  the  desires  of  your 
hearts  granted,  you  must  delight  in  God.  (Ps. 
xxxvii.  4.)  You  must  acknowledge  God  in 
all  your  ways,  to  be  directed  in  all  the  move- 
ments of  life;  (Prov.  iii.  6;)  and  to  quench  the 
fiery  darts  of  the  wicked,  you  must  hold  up 
the  shield  of  faith.  (Eph.  vi.  16.)  That  you 
may  never  see  death,  you  must  keep  Christ's 
sayings;  (John  viii.  51;)  and  that  you  may 
know  his  doctrine,  you  must  do  his  will. 
(John  vii.  17.)  To  be  established,  you  must 
commit  your  works  to  the  Lord;  (Prov.  xvi. 
3;)  to  enjoy  God's  paternal  care  and  a  sense 
of  his  love,  you  must  be  separate  from  the 
world;  (2  Cor.  vi.  17,  18;)  to  enter  into  rest, 
you  must  labour;  (Heb.  iv.  11;)  to  escape 
harm,  you  must  follow  that  which  is  good; 
(1  Pet.  iii.  13;)  and  that  an  abundant  entrance 
may  be  ministered  unto  you  into  the  everlast- 
ing kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  you  must  give  all  diligence  to  make 
your  calling  and  election  sure.  (2  Pet.  i.  10, 
10 


92  BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED. 

11.)  To  renew  your  strength,  you  must  wait 
upon  God;  (Isa.  xl.  31;)  and  to  be  settled 
upon  the  Rock  of  Ages,  you  must  wait  for 
God.  (Ps.  xl.  1,  2.)  To  be  fruitful,  you  must 
meditate  day  and  night  in  God's  law,  trust  in 
the  Lord,  abide  in  Christ,  and  diligently  cul- 
tivate heavenly  dispositions.  (Ps.  i.  2,  3. 
Jer.  xvii.  7,  8.  John  xv.  4.  Tit.  iii.  14.  2 
Pet.  i.  5 — S.)  Those  who  seek  God  early, 
shall  find  him;  (Prov.  viii.  17;)  those  who 
confess  sin,  and  forsake  it,  shall  obtain  mercy; 
(Prov.  xxviii.  13;)  and  those  who  look  to  Jesus 
and  follow  him,  shall  be  enlightened.  (Ps. 
xxxiv.  5.  John  viii.  12.  Ps.  cxix.  130.) 
To  be  joyful,  you  must  be  visited  with  God's 
salvation,  believe  in  the  Saviour,  and  under- 
stand the  truths  of  the  Gospel.  (Ps.  cvi.  4,  5. 
1  Pet.  i.  8.     John  xv.  11.) 

Praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  way  to 
keep  the  heart  in  the  love  of  God;  (Jude  20, 
21;)  to  seek  wisdom  as  silver,  is  the  way  to 
find  the  knowledge  of  the  Most  High;  (Prov. 
ii.  3 — 5;)  and  if  self  be  not  denied,  you  cannot 
follow  Christ.  (Matt.  xvi.  24.)  To  be  filled 
and  to  be  satisfied  with  heavenly  blessings, 
you  must  open  your  mouths  wide  in  prayer, 


BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED.  93 

and  be  obedient  to  the  voice  of  God.  (Ps. 
lxxxi.  10,  13 — 16.)  The  meek  will  God  guide 
in  judgment;  (Ps.  xxv.  9;)  those  who  speak 
the  truth  in  love,  and  desire  the  sincere  milk 
of  the  word,  shall  grow  up  into  Christ  in  all 
things;  (Eph.  iv.  15.  1  Pet.  ii.  2;)  those  who 
eat  Christ  shall  live  for  ever;  (John  vi.  51;) 
those  who  love  Jerusalem  shall  prosper;  (Ps. 
cxxii.  6;)  those  who  walk  in  the  Spirit  shall 
not  fulfil  the  lusts  of  the  flesh;  (Gal.  v.  16;) 
and  those  who  live  in  peace,  and  call  upon 
God,  shall  enjoy  his  presence.  (2  Cor.  xiii. 
11.    Ps.  cxlv.  18.) 

By  bearing  much  fruit,  by  letting  your  light 
shine  before  men,  by  offering  praise,  by  dwell- 
ing together  in  unity,  you  glorify  God;  (John 
xv.  S.  Matt.  v.  16.  Ps.  1.  23.  Rom.  xv. 
5,  6.)  If  ye,  through  the  Spirit,  do  mortify 
the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live;  (Rom. 
viii.  13;)  by  bearing  one  another's  burdens, 
you  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ;  (Gal.  vi.  2;)  by 
coming  to  a  throne  of  grace,  you  will  obtain 
mercy;  (Heb.  iv.  16;)  by  remembering  God, 
you  will  be  relieved  in  trouble;  (Ps.  lxxvii. 
10;)  by  coming  to  Christ,  you  obtain  rest  to 
your  souls;  (Matt.  xi.  2S;)  by  making  peace, 


94  BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED. 

you  sow  the  fruits  of  righteousness;  (James  iii. 
18;)  and  by  watchfulness  and  prayer,  tempta- 
tion is  avoided,  and  the  tempter  resisted, 
(Matt.  xxvi.  41.  James  iv.  7.)  That  you  faint 
not  in  the  hour  of  trial,  you  must  consider 
Christ  in  his  sufferings;  (Heb.  xii.  3;)  that  you 
may  behold  Christ's  glory,  you  must  believe 
his  word;  (John  xi.  40;)  that  you  may  stand 
in  the  field  of  battle,  you  must  use  the  Gospel 
armour;  (JEph.  vi.  11,  13;)  that  you  may  enjoy 
Divine  support  in  trouble,  you  must  cast  your 
burdens  on  the  Lord;  (Ps.  Iv.  22;)  that  you 
may  be  rewarded  openly,  you  must  pray 
secretly;  (Matt.  vi.  6;)  to  run  the  race  set  be- 
fore you  in  the  Gospel,  and  so  to  run  as  to  ob- 
tain, }rou  must  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  be 
temperate  in  all  things.  (Heb.  xii.  1.  1  Cor. 
ix.  24 — 27.)  Purity  of  heart  and  life  is  essen- 
tially and  inseparably  connected  with  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with  faith  in  the  blood  of 
Christ,  with  obedience  to  the  Divine  will, 
with  the  influence  of  truth,  and  with  a  lively 
hope  of  glory.  (1  Pet.  i.  2.  Heb.  ix.  14.  Ps. 
cxix.  9.     1  Pet.  i.  22.     1  John  iii.  3.) 

Those  only,  who  are  transformed  into  the 
Divine  image,  prove  the  Divine  will;  (Rom. 


BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED.  95 

xii.  2;)  those  only,  who  continue  in  the  faith, 
are  presented  blameless  before  God;  (Col.  i. 
22,  23;)  and  the  will  of  God  must  be  done, 
before  his  promise  can  be  received.  (Heb.  x. 
36.)  To  please  God,  you  must  believe,  do 
good,  and  forget  not  to  communicate.  (Heb. 
xi.  6.,  xiii.  16.)  To  pray  with  success,  you 
must  abide  in  Christ,  be  fruitful,  and  agree  as 
to  the  blessings  you  seek.  (John  xv.  7,  16. 
Matt,  xviii.  19.)  Quietness  and  assurance  for 
ever,  are  the  effects  of  righteousness,  and  can- 
not be  enjoyed  apart  from  their  cause;  (Isa. 
xxxii.  17;)  rest  is  by  faith  in  Christ;  (Heb. 
iv.  3;)  and  to  find  pasture,  you  must  enter  by 
the  door  of  the  sheepfold.  (John  x.  9.)  In 
order  to  reap  life  everlasting,  you  must  sow, 
not  to  the  flesh,  but  to  the  Spirit;  (Gal.  vi.  8;) 
to  obtain  heavenly  wisdom,  you  must  ask  of 
God  in  faith;  (James  i.  5;)  and  to  comprehend 
the  love  of  the  Father,  you  must  be  rooted  in 
the  love  of  the  Saviour.  (Eph.  iii.  17 — 19.) 
If  your  eye  be  single,  your  whole  body  will 
be  full  of  light;  (Matt.  vi.  22;)  and  if  you 
keep  holy  the  Sabbath-day,  you  shall  delight 
yourselves  in  the  Lord,  and  ride  upon  the 
high  places  of  the  earth.  (Isa.  lviii.  13,  14.) 
10* 


96  BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED. 

Those  who  observe  God's  ways,  and  study 
his  precepts,  shall  understand  his  loving-kind- 
ness; (Ps.  cvii.  43.  cxix.  92, 104;)  those  who 
water  others,  shall  be  watered;  (Prov.  xi.  25;) 
and  those  who  walk  with  wise  men,  shall  be 
wise.  (Prov.  xiii.  20.)  It  is  by  a  soft  answer 
that  you  must  seek  to  turn  away  wrath; 
(Prov.  xv.  1 ;)  and  by  love  to  the  brethren, 
convince  the  world  that  you  are  the  Saviour's 
disciples.     (John  xiii.  35.) 

To  have  peace  with  God,  you  must  be  jus- 
tified by  faith;  (Rom.  v.  1;)  to  enjoy  peace, 
you  must  be  spiritually  minded;  (Rom.  viii. 
6;)  to  be  filled  with  peace,  faith  must  be  in 
exercise;  (Rom.  xv.  13;)  and  to  be  kept  in 
perfect  peace,  your  minds  must  be  stayed  on 
God.  (Isa.  xxvi.  3.)  "Be  careful  for  no- 
thing; but  in  every  thing  by  prayer  and  sup- 
plication, with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests 
be  made  known  unto  God:" — here  are  the 
means.  "And  the  peace  of  God,  which 
passeth  all  understanding,  shall  keep  your 
hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus:" — 
here  is  the  end.     (Phil.  iv.  6,  7.) 

Such,  my  dear  friends,  is  God's  prescribed 
order  of  conveying  blessings  to   his  people, 


BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED.  97 

and  these  are  the  means  you  must  employ  to 
obtain  them.  "  God  is  faithful,  by  whom  ye 
were  called  unto  the  fellowship  of  his  Son, 
Jesus  Christ;"  (1  Cor.  i.  9;)  and  as  he  will 
neither  forget  nor  depart  from  his  arrange- 
ments, you  may  cherish  humble  confidence 
towards  them,  both  as  it  respects  the  accom- 
plishment of  his  will,  and  the  prosperity  of 
your  souls.  "  The  gifts  and  callings  of  God 
are  without  repentance."  (Rom.  xi.  29.)  The 
means  are  connected  with  the  end  so  inti- 
mately, that  if  they  be  disused,  this  cannot  be 
secured;  and  the  end  is  connected  with  the 
means  so  effectually,  that  if  these  be  properly 
employed,  that  must  be  realized.  And,  sure- 
ly, the  blessings  of  eternal  life  are  worthy  of 
being  sought  and  obtained  by  efforts  the  most 
arduous!  To  sinners  burthened  with  guilt, 
and  desirous  of  pardon;  and  to  believers,  con- 
cerned for  the  honour  of  Divine  truth,  by 
endeavouring  to  preserve  spirituality  of  mind 
and  holiness  of  life,  the  promises  of  the  Gos- 
pel must  be  precious.  Sincerely  to  desire 
grace,  is  assiduously  to  seek  it  where  the  God 
of  grace  assures  us  it  may  be  found.  If  the 
Christian  could  be  saved  either  with  or  with- 


98  BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED. 

out  repentance,  he  would  yet  choose,  with  his 
present  convictions,  to  mourn  for  sin,  and  to 
rely  on  Christ's  atonement;  and  if,  after  his 
conversion,  he  could  proceed  in  the  narrow 
way  without  prayer,  he  would  prefer  leaning 
on  Christ's  arm,  and  receiving  his  spiritual 
supplies  in  the  path  of  obedience,  that  he 
might  glorify  the  Saviour  by  depending  on 
his  grace;  rather  than  walk  and  work  inde- 
pendently of  his  aid.  Communion  with  God 
is  an  exercise  so  delightful  in  itself,  and  so 
salutary  in  its  consequences,  that  he  is  thank- 
ful, not  only  for  light  and  life,  but  for  the 
medium  through  which  they  flow;  and  he 
discovers  the  Saviour's  love  as  well  in  the 
means  he  employs  to  bless  his  people,  as  in 
the  blessings  he  actually  bestows  upon  them. 
We  cannot  see  how  an  order  of  things,  opposed 
to  that  by  which  you  are  governed  and  in- 
structed, could  either  glorify  God,  or  benefit 
you.  Holiness  and  humility  are  essential  to 
your  happiness  and  usefulness;  and  whatever, 
either  by  positive  influence,  or  relative  conse- 
quence, diminishes  the  one,  and  fosters  the 
other,  is  a  curse,  not  a  blessing. 

Let  us,  then,  apply  ourselves  to  the  means 


BLESSINGS  TO  BE  REALIZED.  99 

which  God  has  introduced,  for  the  elevation 
of  our  experience,  and  the  improvement  of 
our  practice.  "  Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight, 
and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us;" 
(Heb.  xii.  2;)  seek  information  and  counsel 
from  the  Holy  Scriptures;  and  pursue  the 
chief  good  under  their  direction.  We  are 
commanded  and  encouraged  to  seek  large 
blessings:  but  if  we  submit  not  to  God's  order 
of  means,  we  must  calculate  upon  bondage 
and  depression  all  our  days.  We  do  not  at 
present  live  up  to  our  privileges;  nor  shall  we 
ever  make  a  holier,  a  happier,  and  a  more 
successful  use  of  them,  till  we  learn  obedience 
by  the  things  which  we  suffer.  God  has  set 
no  limits  to  our  desires  or  our  expectations. 
On  the  contrary,  he  has  thrown  open  to  us  the 
provisions  of  his  grace,  and  invited  us  to  eat 
and  drink  abundantly.  How  is  it,  then,  that 
we  are  still  poor  and  wretched  ?  that  we 
scarcely  walk,  when  we  ought  to  run?  and 
complain  of  sterility  and  barrenness,  when 
"  our  waste  places  ought  to  be  like  Eden,  and 
our  deserts  like  the  garden  of  the  Lord?" 
(Isa.  li.  3.)  If  the  clouds  of  his  favour  rain 
not,  and  if  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  does  not 


100 

shine,  the  cause  must  be  with  us.  Either  we 
do  that  which  is  wrong,  and  thus  grieve  God's 
Spirit;  or  we  avoid  that  which  is  right,  and 
thus  offend  his  wisdom.  We  forget  his  wil- 
lingness to  bless  us;  and  either  fail  to  ask, 
fearing  we  shall  not  receive;  or  seek,  where 
we  cannot  find,  and  remain  destitute.  "  Oh 
that  my  people  had  hearkened  unto  me,  and 
Israel  had  walked  in  my  ways!  I  should 
soon  have  subdued  their  enemies,  and  turned 
my  hand  against  their  adversaries.  The  haters 
of  the  Lord  should  have  submitted  themselves 
unto  him;  but  their  time  should  have  endured 
for  ever.  He  should  have  fed  them  also  with 
the  finest  of  the  wheat :  and  with  honey  out 
of  the  rock  should  I  have  satisfied  thee."  (Ps. 
Ixxxi.  13—16.) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    CHRISTIAN'S    DESIRE    TO    WALK    IN    GOD'S    STATUTES. 

In  all  the  works  of  God,  both  in  nature  and 
in  grace,  a  unity  of  design  is  perceptible ;  and 
the  interest  he  takes  in  the  welfare  of  his  peo- 


pie  is  as  apparent  in  the  precepts,  as  in  the 
promises  of  the  Gospel ;  in  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  on  the  heart,  as  in  the  work  of  Christ 
upon  the  cross.  "  The  new  man  is  created  in 
knowledge,  after  the  image  of  him  that 
created  him;"  and  instead  of  their  heing  any 
discrepancy  between  the  principles  of  a  re- 
newed heart,  and  the  practical  tendencies  of 
the  sacred  volume,  the  most  perfect  harmony 
pervades  them.  That  God  enjoins  obedience 
is  not  more  manifest,  than  that  the  Christian, 
in  a  certain  state  of  mind,  desires  it;  and  as 
we  are  not  to  be  driven  from  the  doctrines  of 
grace  by  the  clamour  of  foolish  men,  we  are 
not  to  be  drawn  from  its  precepts  by  the  im- 
morality of  wicked  men.  "  Be  thou  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord  all  the  day  long,"  is  a  Divine 
injunction;  and,  "0  that  my  ways  were  di- 
rected to  keep  thy  statutes,"  is  the  Christian's 
prayer.  The  Saviour's  yoke  is  easy,  and  his 
burden  light;  and  although  thousands  regret 
not  bearing  it  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  none 
ever  complain  that  they  are  called  to  put  it  on 
in  old  age.  "  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are 
more  to  be  desired  than  gold,  yea,  than  much 


102 

fine  gold;  they  are  sweeter  also  than  honey, 
and  the  honey-comb."  (Ps.  xix.  10.) 

Observe  the  intensity  of  feeling  with  which 
the  writer  of  the  119th  Psalm  regarded  this 
subject.  "  I  will  keep  thy  statutes;  0  forsake 
me  not  utterly.  I  will  meditate  in  thy  pre- 
cepts, and  have  respect  unto  thy  ways.  I  have 
sworn,  and  I  will  perform  it,  that  I  will  keep 
thy  righteous  judgments.  Depart  from  me, 
ye  evil-doers;  for  I  will  keep  the  command- 
ments of  my  God.  I  will  delight  myself  in 
thy  statutes:  I  will  not  forget  thy  word.  And 
I  will  delight  myself  in  thy  commandments, 
which  I  have  loved.  I  thought  on  my  ways, 
and  turned  my  feet  unto  thy  testimonies.  I 
made  haste,  and  delayed  not  to  keep  thy  com- 
mandments. With  my  whole  heart  have  I 
sought  thee ;  0  let  me  not  wander  from  thy 
commandments.  Hold  thou  me  up,  and  I 
shall  be  safe;  and  I  will  have  respect  unto  thy 
statutes  continually.  Blessed  art  thou,  0 
Lord!  teach  me  thy  statutes.  Make  me  to 
understand  the  way  of  thy  precepts.  Let  my 
heart  be  sound  in  thy  statutes,  that  I  be  not 
ashamed.     I  will  run  the  way  of   thy  com- 


TO  WALK  IN   GOD'S  STATUTES.  103 

mandments,  when  thou  shalt  enlarge  my 
heart  Give  me  understanding,  and  I  shall 
keep  thy  law;  yea,  I  shall  observe  it  with  my 
whole  heart.  Make  me  to  go  in  the  path  of 
thy  commandments,  for  therein  do  I  delight. 
Incline  my  heart  unto  thy  testimonies,  and 
not  to  covetousness.  Turn  away  mine  eyes 
from  beholding  vanity,  and  quicken  thou  me 
in  thy  way/**  Bestow  a  larger  measure  of 
thy  grace  upon  me,  not  only  for  my  own 
comfort  and  joy,  but  that,  whether  I  eat  or 
drink,  or  whatsoever  I  do,  I  may  do  all  to  thy 
glory;  and  cheerfully  serve  thee  in  newness 
of  life.  My  own  peace  of  mind  is  an  object 
of  deep  solicitude;  yet  I  seek  grace  for  prac- 
tical purposes,  that  being  transformed  into 
thine  image,  I  may  appear  before  the  world 
and  the  church  in  its  glory.  Let  me  live,  not 
for  my  own  gratification  and  ease,  but  to  do 
thy  will.  As  the  great  end  of  life  is  thy 
glory,  if  in  any  way  thou  canst  employ  me  to 
advance  it,  however  earnestly  I  might  desire 
a  removal  from  earth  to  heaven,  and  to  what- 
ever toil  and  suffering  obedience  may  subject 
me,  still  let  me  live,  and  keep  thy  word. 

*  See  the  whole  of  the  119th  Psalm. 
11 


104  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DESIRE 

"O  that  the  Lord  would  guide  my  ways, 

To  keep  his  statutes  still ! 
O  that  the  Lord  would  grant  me  grace 

To  know  and  do  his  will ! 

"  O  send  thy  Spirit  down,  to  write 

Thy  law  upon  my  heart! 
Nor  let  my  tongue  indulge  deceit, 

Nor  act  the  liar's  part. 

"  Make  me  to  walk  in  thy  commands, 

'Tis  a  delightful  road: 
Nor  let  my  head,  nor  heart,  nor  hands, 


But  is  this  desire  for  obedience  cherished 
by  all  Christians  at  all  times?  Alas!  we  fear 
not.  The  standard  of  Christian  morals,  how- 
ever, is  not  lowered  by  the  light  and  glory  of 
this  dispensation;  and,  as  he  who  is  least  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  John 
the  Baptist,  than  whom,  among  the  prophets 
there  was  not  born  a  greater,  "  what  manner 
of  persons  ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conver- 
sation and  godliness!"  "  If  the  ministration 
of  death,  written  and  engraven  in  stones,  was 
glorious; — how  shall  not  the  ministration  of 
the  Spirit  be  rather  glorious  ?"  (2  Cor.  iii.  7, 
8.)     But  where  is  the  glory  of  this  dispensa- 


TO  WALK  IX  GOD'S  STATUTES.  105 

tion,  if  Christians,  enlightened  by  its  discove- 
ries, enriched  by  its  treasures,  and  counselled 
by  its  precepts,  are  less  devoted  to  the  Lord's 
service,  and,  therefore,  less  consistent  in  their 
professions,  than  were  those  believers  who 
lived  and  laboured  before  the  incarnation  of 
the  Saviour?  As  more  is  revealed  to  us,  than 
was  made  known  to  them,  our  obligations  are 
proportionably  multiplied.  "  God  having  pro- 
vided some  better  thing  for  us,  that  they  with- 
out us  should  not  be  made  perfect;"  (Heb. 
xi.  40;)  are  we  to  be  less  spiritually  minded 
than  they  were?  If  we  fail  in  obedience,  it 
cannot  be  either  because  we  are  not  counselled, 
or  because  unreasonable  sacrifices  are  required. 
Our  code  of  laws  is  perfect;  and  their  inten- 
tion is  our  profit:  but  if  we  neglect  them  in 
ignorance,  or  despise  them  because  we  con- 
ceive they  are  opposed  to  our  happiness,  our 
obedience  must  be  irregular,  and  uncertain; 
and  it  must  rather  hinder,  than  assist,  our  pro- 
gress in  the  Divine  life. 

Out  of  what  state  of  soul,  then,  does  a 
prayerful  desire  for  obedience  arise?  Not 
from  that  which  is  unhealthy  and  declining; 
but  out  of  that  which  is  spiritual  and  prosper- 


106  THE  CHRISTIAN'S  DESIRE 

ous.  Under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of 
adoption,  the  Christian  must  exclaim,  "  0  that 
my  ways  were  directed  to  keep  thy  statutes:" 
and  being  anxious  to  attest  his  love  to  the  Sa- 
viour, he  can  but  pray,  "  Deal  bountifully  with 
thy  servant,  that  I  may  live,  and  keep  thy 
word."  To  be  assured,  that  after  death  he 
will  serve  God  day  and  night  in  his  temple, 
without  weariness  or  interruption,  awakens  in 
his  bosom  delightful  emotions,  and  sometimes 
excites  intense  desires  for  dissolution;  but 
these  prospects,  though  bright  and  fair,  never 
induce  a  neglect  of  present  duty:  on  the  con- 
trary, they  quicken  his  pace  on  the  road  of 
obedience,  and  render  his  obligations  more 
touching  and  powerful.  But  when  he  has  de- 
clined in  the  life  of  godliness,  ordinary  duties 
are  irksome;  and  a  little  additional  labour  is 
intolerable.  What  a  weariness  is  it  ?  "  There 
is  a  lion  without,  I  shall  be  slain  in  the  streets;" 
and  his  tendency  is  towards  a  state  of  declen- 
sion yet  more  alarming.  One  false  step,  un- 
less retraced,  must  lead  further  and  further 
from  the  right  path;  and  having  lost  his  health- 
ful tone  of  character,  he  is  as  indifferent  to  his 
own  happiness  as  to  the  Saviour's  glory. 


TO  WALK  IN  GOD'S  STATUTES.  1()7 

Let  us,  my  dear  friends,  seek  a  prosperous 
state  of  soul  for  the  Lord's  honour;  nor  let  us 
be  satisfied  without  it.  A  drooping,  sickly 
life,  is  not  in  character  either  with  our  pro- 
fessions or  prospects.  Is  it  a  matter  of  no  mo- 
ment, whether  we  are  rising,  or  sinking,  in 
spirituality  of  mind  ?  Are  the  consequences 
to  ourselves,  to  the  church,  to  the  world,  and, 
above  all,  to  God  our  Saviour,  so  few  and  so 
unimportant,  that  we  need  evince  no  anxiety, 
or  but  little,  about  our  actual  condition,  in  the 
sight  of  a  heart-searching  G  od  ?  Away  with 
such  indifference  for  ever!  It  is  an  insult  to 
Christ;  and  one  of  the  strongest  arguments 
with  which  infidelity  can  be  furnished.  Soul 
prosperity  is  of  consequence;  it  ought  to  be 
an  object  of  paramount  and  prayerful  solici- 
tude; and  whatever  is  opposed  to  it  must,  if 
possible,  be  avoided.  "  I  am  come,"  said  Je- 
sus, "  that  ye  might  have  life,  and  that  ye 
might  have  it  more  abundantly."  (John  x. 
10.)  That  ye  might  have,  not  a  bare  subsist- 
ence; but,  the  life  which  answers  to  your  cha- 
racter, as  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord 
God  Almighty,  and  which  shall  meet  the  great 
ends  of  your  adoption  into  his  family: — a  life 
11* 


108 

of  influence,  and  of  power;  a  life  of  sanctifica- 
tion,  of  consolation,  and  of  triumph; — and  that 
ye  might  have  this  life  abundantly.  The  pro- 
mised effusions  of  his  Spirit  are  comparable, 
not  to  drops  and  streams,  but  to  showers  and 
rivers;  and  which,  when  communicated,  secure 
a  lively  and  visible  exercise  of  the  principles 
of  the  new  creation.  Hope, 1 — consolation, 2 — 
love, 3 — brotherly-kindness, 4 — faith,  ^-thanks- 
giving,6 — joy,7 — and  even  labour,8  will  then 
abound;  and  while  an  abundant  entrance  is 
ministered  unto  us  into  the  everlasting  king- 
dom of  our  Lord  and  Saviour, 9  we  shall  abun- 
dantly utter  the  memory  of  his  great  good- 
ness, and  sing  of  his  righteousness. 10  And  is 
not  this  state  attainable  ?  And  are  we  not  to 
seek  it?  This  was  the  design  of  Christ's  in- 
carnation, and  the  intended  result  of  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  am  come  that  they 
might  have  life,  and  more  abundantly  than 
others  have  had  it;  that  they  might  not  mea- 
sure their  desires,  nor  limit  their  expectations, 

I  Rom.  xv.  13.  2  2  Cor.  i.  5.  3  Phil.  i.  9. 

4  2  Pet.  i.  7.  s  Col.  ii.  7.  6  Col.  ii.  7. 

7  Phil.  i.  26.  s  i  Cor.  xv.  58.  9  2  Pet.  i.  11. 
»o  Ps.  cxlv.  7. 


TO  WALK  IN  GOD'S  STATUTES.  109 

by  the  dull,  lukewarm,  low  experience  of  the 
inconsistent  Christian;  but  that  they  might 
seek  and  obtain  large  and  unprecedented  sup- 
plies of  Divine  influence.  Nor  are  we  to  be 
satisfied  with  our  attainments,  even  when  God 
has  dealt  bountifully  with  us!  but  forgetting 
the  things  which  are  behind,  we  are  to  press 
forward,  fixing  no  bounds  either  to  our  prayers 
or  our  hopes;  that  instructed  and  enriched  by 
his  Spirit,  it  may  be  our  meat  and  our  drink 
to  do  his  will.  "  If  ye  keep  my  command- 
ments, ye  shall  abide  in  my  love;  even  as  I 
have  kept  my  Father's  commandments,  and 
abide  in  his  love."     (John  xv.  10.) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

RLI.ES  to  de  observed  for  the  promotion  of  soul 

PROSPERITY. 

As  there  is  a  manifest  connexion  between 
soul  prosperity  and  a  right  use  of  the  means  in- 
tended to  promote  it,  we  cannot  hope  to  enjoy 
the  former,  without  throwing  into  the  scale  of 
the  latter  an  effort  that  will  give  it  a  prepon- 


HO  RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

dcrancc  in  our  favour.    To  have  life,  \vc  must 
possess  Christ,  for  "  He  is  our  life."     Christ 
in  the  Bible,  in   the  memory,  in  the  under- 
standing, only,  will  not  avail  for  our  salvation, 
without    "  Christ   in  the  heart,   the  hope   of 
glory."     "He  that  hath  the   Son,  hath  life; 
and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God,  hath  not 
life."     (1   John  v.   12.)     The  religion  of  the 
nominal  Christian  resembles  the  lifeless  scenery 
of  the  canvass,  where  all  is  still  and  inanimate. 
None  but  the  man  in  whose  heart  the  good 
seed  of  the  kingdom  has  been  cast,  on  whom 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  has  arisen,  and  upon 
whom  the  dews  of  the  Holy  Spirit  rest,  can 
exhibit  the  moral  vitality  and  beauty  of  the 
second  creation.     To  live  the  life  of  faith,  and 
to  abound  in  all  its  holy  exercises,  we  must  be 
united  to   Christ.     And  if  bodily  health  be  a 
blessing  of  such  value,  that  the  whole  world  is 
a  blank  without  it,  how  much  more  valuable  is 
health  of  soul,  without  which,  we  can  neither 
serve  God,  nor  enjoy  his  presence!     Months, 
and  even  years,  of  hard  labour  and  distress 
may  be  required  to  regain  that  spiritual  vigour, 
of  which  the  inconsistency  of  a  moment  may 
deprive  us.     The  Spirit  of  God  is  a  holy  and 


Of  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  HI 

a  tender  Spirit;  as  susceptible  of  our  indiffer- 
ence to  spiritual  prosperity,  as  he  is  concerned 
for  the  Saviour's  glory;  and  unless  we  hus- 
band his  influences,  value  his  donations,  and 
practically  fall  in  with  his  designs,  we  grieve 
him,  and  cause  his  departure. 

To  grow  in  grace,  and  to  abound  in  the 
fruits  of  righteousness,  we  must  live  by  rule. 
An  occasional  concern  for  the  stability  of 
Christ's  kingdom  in  our  hearts,  will  not  meet 
the  pressing  necessities  of  our  case;  and  a  de- 
parture from  the  spirit,  as  well  as  from  the 
letter  of  Christ's  laws,  will  issue  in  distress. 
If  a  man,  without  any  regard  to  the  calls  of 
duty,  rush  into  the  ward  of  an  hospital,  where 
a  virulent  fever  reigns,  he  cannot  expect  to 
escape  contagion;  and  if  a  Christian  cherish 
familiar  intercourse  with  the  gay  and  irreli- 
gious, the  consequences  to  his  religion  must 
be  awfully  alarming.  We  must  not  conceive 
that,  because  Cod  has  promised  to  perfect  his 
work  in  the  souls  of  his  people,  we  are  to  be 
heedless  of  our  temper  and  conduct;  nor  take 
it.  for  granted  that  the  work  is  advancing. 
We  ought  rather  to  test  our  professed  recep- 
tion of  life,  by  its  positive  progressions.     The 


112  RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

evidences  of  our  conversion,  however  nume- 
rous, may  all,  and  in  a  short  time,  too,  be  ob- 
scured by  inconsistency  of  conduct.  We 
must,  at  all  hazards,  walk  humbty  with  God, 
and  follow  Christ's  example. 

"Two  or  three  plain  rules,  I  find,"  said  the 
excellent  Dr.  Payson,  "  of  wonderful  service 
in  deciding  all  difficult  cases.  One  is,  to  do 
nothing  of  which  I  doubt  in  any  degree  the 
lawfulness;  the  second,  to  consider  every 
thing  as  unlawful  which  indisposes  me  for 
prayer,  and  interrupts  communion  with  God; 
and  the  third  is,  never  to  go  into  any  com- 
pany, business,  or  situation,  in  which  I  cannot 
conscientiously  ask  and  expect  the  Divine  pre- 
sence. By  the  help  of  these  rules,  I  settle  all 
my  doubts  in  a  trice;  and  find  that  many  things 
I  have  hitherto  indulged  in,  are,  if  not  utterly 
unlawful,  at  least  inexpedient,  and  I  can  re- 
nounce them  without  many  sighs."  In  allud- 
ing to  an  attempt  to  have  Zech.  xiv.  20,  ful- 
filled in  his  house,  he  says,  "  Though  we  suc- 
ceed miserably  enough,  yet  the  bare  attempt 
has  given  us  a  happiness  unknown  before. 
One  thing  which  has  been  greatly  blessed  to 
us,  is  having  family  prayer  at  noon,  as  well  as 


OF  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  H3 

morning  and  evening.  It  shows  us  how  far 
we  get  from  God,  during  the  day,  even  when 
we  begin  and  close  it  with  him.  In  some 
families  this  would  be  impossible,  and  then 
half  an  hour  spent  alone  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose as  well.  I  find  it  requires  almost  con- 
stant rubbing  and  chafing,  to  make  the  blood 
circulate  in  such  frozen  souls  as  ours;  and, 
after  all,  it  avails  nothing,  if  the  Sun  of  Righte- 
ousness does  not  shine." 

But  how  did  this  blessed  man  die?  As  it 
might  be  expected  he  would,  in  the  full  assu- 
rance of  faith.  Oh,  let  us  aim  to  live  his  life, 
that  our  last  end  may  be  like  his!  "The  ce- 
lestial city,"  he  said,  a  short  time  before  his 
departure,  "is  full  in  my  view:  its  glories 
beam  upon  me;  its  breezes  fan  me;  its  odours 
are  wafted  to  me;  its  sounds  strike  upon  my 
ears;  and  its  spirit  is  breathed  into  my  heart. 
Nothing  separates  me  from  it  but  the  river  of 
death,  which  now  appears  as  an  insignificant 
rill,  that  may  be  crossed  at  a  single  step,  when- 
ever God  shall  give  permission.  The  Sun  of 
Righteousness  has  been  gradually  drawing 
nearer  and  nearer,  appearing  larger  and  bright- 
er as  he   approached,    and   now   he    fills   the 


114  RULES  TOR  THE  PROMOTION 

whole  hemisphere,  pouring  forth  a  flood  of 
glory,  in  which  I  seem  to  float  like  an  insect 
in  the  beams  of  the  sun,  exulting,  yet  almost 
trembling,  while  I  gaze  on  this  excessive 
brightness,  and  wondering  with  unutterable 
wonder,  why  God  should  deign  thus  to  shine 
upon  a  sinful  worm !  A  single  heart,  and  a 
single  tongue,  seem  altogether  inadequate  to 
my  wants;  I  want  a  whole  heart  for  every  se- 
parate emotion,  and  a  whole  tongue  to  express 
that  emotion. 

"  Oh,  what  a  blessed  thing  it  is  to  lose  one's 
will!  Since  I  have  lost  my  will,  I  have  found 
happiness.  There  can  be  no  such  thing  as  dis- 
appointment to  me,  for  I  have  no  desires  but 
that  God's  will  may  be  accomplished.  God 
has  kept  cutting  off  one  source  of  enjoyment 
after  another,  till  I  find  that  I  can  do  without 
them  all,  and  enjoy  more  happiness  than  ever 
in  my  life  before.  Christians  might  avoid 
much  trouble  and  inconvenience,  if  they  would 
only  believe  what  they  profess — that  God  is 
able  to  make  them  happy  without  any  thing 
else.  They  imagine  that  if  such  a  dear  friend 
were  to  die,  or  such  and  such  blessings  to  be 
removed,  they  should  be  miserable;  whereas 


OF   SOUL  PROSPERITY.  115 

God  can  make  them  a  thousand  times  happier 
without  them.  To  mention  my  own  case, 
God  has  been  depriving  me  of  one  blessing 
after  another,  but  as  every  one  was  removed, 
he  has  come  in  and  filled  up  its  place;  and 
now  when  I  am  a  cripple,  and  not  able  to 
move,  I  am  happier  than  ever  I  was  in  my  life 
before,  or  ever  expected  to  be;  and  if  I  had 
believed  this  twenty  years  ago,  I  might  have 
been  spared  much  anxiety.  If  God  had  told 
me  some  time  ago,  that  he  was  about  to  make 
me  as  happy  as  I  could  be  in  this  world,  and 
then  had  told  me  that  he  should  begin  by 
crippling  me  in  all  my  limbs,  and  removing 
me  from  all  my  usual  sources  of  enjoyment,  I 
should  have  thought  it  a  very  strange  mode  of 
accomplishing  his  purpose.  And  yet  how  is 
his  wisdom  manifest  even  in  this! 

"  Suppose  a  son  is  walking  with  his  father, 
in  whose  wisdom  he  places  the  most  entire 
confidence;  he  follows  wherever  his  father 
leads,  though  it  may  be  through  thorns  and 
briers,  cheerfully  and  contentedly.  Another 
son,  we  will  suppose,  distrusts  his  father's 
wisdom  and  love,  and  when  the  path  is  rough 
and  uneven,  begins  to  murmur  and  repine, 
12 


116     RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

wishing  he  might  be  allowed  to  choose  his 
own  path,  and  though  he  is  obliged  to  follow, 
it  is  with  great  reluctance  and  discontent. 
Now  the  reason  that  Christians  in  general  do 
not  enjoy  more  of  God's  presence  is,  that  they 
are  not  willing  to  walk  in  his  path  when  it 
crosses  their  own  inclinations.  But  we  shall 
never  be  happy,  until  we  acquiesce,  with  per- 
fect cheerfulness,  in  all  his  decisions,  and  fol- 
low wherever  he  leads  without  a  murmur." 

And  yet  this  great  and  holy  man  renounces, 
as  all  who  are  taught  of  God  will  do,  his  own 
doings,  and  cleaves  to  Christ  alone;  ascribing 
all  success  to  the  unmerited  and  sovereign 
grace  of  God.  "  I  find,"  he  says,  "no  satis- 
faction in  looking  at  any  thing  I  have  done;  I 
want  to  leave  all  this  behind,  it  is  nothing,  and 
fly  to  Christ  to  be  clothed  in  his  righteous- 
ness." Again:  "  I  have  done  nothing  myself. 
I  have  not  fought,  but  Christ  has  fought  for 
me;  I  have  not  run,  but  Christ  has  carried  me; 
I  have  not  worked,  but  Christ  has  wrought  in 
me;  Christ  has  done  all." 

Observe,  too,  the  following  rules  for  a  holy 
life,  laid  down  by  that  eminent  servant  of 
Jesus  Christ,  Archbishop  Leighton.     "  Thou 


OP  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  1  17 

must  submit  and  give  up  thyself  to  the  disci- 
pline of  Jesus;  and  become  his  scholar,  resign- 
ing and  impelling  thyself  altogether  to  obey 
him  in  all  things;  so  that  thy  willing  and 
nilling  thou  utterly  and  perfectly  do  cast 
away  from  thee,  and  do  nothing  without  his 
license.  At  every  word  thou  wilt  speak,  at 
every  morsel  thou  wilt  eat,  at  every  stirring 
or  moving  of  every  article  or  member  of  thy 
body,  thou  must  ask  leave  of  him  in  thy  heart, 
and  ask  thyself  whether,  having  so  done,  that 
be  according  to  his  holy  will  and  example,  and 
with  a  sincere  attention  to  his  glory.  Offer  all 
thou  hast,  to  be  nothing,  to  use  nothing  of  all 
thou  hast  about  thee,  and  is  called  thine,  but  to 
his  honour  and  glory.  And  resolve,  through 
his  grace,  to  use  all  the  powers  of  thy  soul,  and 
every  member  of  thy  body,  to  his  service,  as 
formerly  thou  hast  done  to  sin.  If  thou 
wouldest  ascend  and  come  up  to  thy  Lord 
God,  thou  must  climb  up  by  the  wounds  of 
his  blessed  humanity,  that  remain,  as  it  were, 
for  that  use;  and  when  thou  art  got  up  there, 
thou  wouldest  rather  suffer  death  than  commit 
any  sin. 

"  Cast  all  thy  care  on  God,  and  commit  all 


118  RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

to  his  good  pleasure;  laud,  and  praise,  and 
applaud  him  in  all  things,  small  and  great; 
forsake  thy  own  will,  and  deliver  up  thyself 
freely  and  cheerfully  to  the  will  of  God,  with- 
out reserve  or  exception,  in  prosperity  and 
adversity,  sweet  or  sour,  to  have  or  to  want, 
to  live  or  to  die.  But  whatsoever  thou  per- 
ceivest  to  appertain  to  the  honour  of  thy  Lord, 
be  it  ever  so  hard  and  unpleasant  to  thyself, 
thou  wilt  heartily  embrace  it,  yea,  with  all 
thy  might  follow  and  desire  it;  yet  when  thou 
hast  done  what  is  possible  for  thee,  thou  wilt 
think  thou  hast  done  nothing  at  all;  yea,  thou 
shalt  be  ashamed,  and  detest  thyself,  that  thou 
hast  so  wretchedly  and  imperfectly  served  so 
noble  and  worthy  a  Lord ;  and,  therefore,  thou 
wilt  desire  and  endeavour  to  do  and  suffer 
greater  and  more  perfect  things  than  hitherto 
thou  hast  done,  forgetting  the  things  that  are 
behind,  and  pressing  forward." 

Attend,  also,  to  your  moral  diet.  Eat  the 
bread  of  life;  it  was  provided  for  you  by  Infi- 
nite Wisdom;  it  is  to  be  your  daily  food;  and, 
when  eaten  by  faith,  it  will  make  you  strong 
and  vigorous.  "  Whoso  eateth  of  this  bread 
shall  live  for  ever."    (John  vi.  51.)    He  shall 


OF  SOUL   PROSPERITY.  H9 

not,  as  a  natural  man,  dream  of  spiritual  life; 
but,  as  a  renewed  man,  he  shall  enjoy  it.  Be- 
ware of  false  doctrine.  "  Shun  profane  and 
vain  babblings  ;  for  they  will  increase  unto 
more  ungodliness,  and  their  word  will  eat  as 
doth  a  canker;"  (2  Tim.  ii.  16,  17;)  but  in- 
cline your  ear  unto  the  sayings  of  Christ  and 
his  apostles,  "  for  they  are  life  unto  those  that 
find  them,  and  health  to  all  their  flesh." 
(Prov.  iv.  22.)  Shun  error  as  poison,  but 
value  truth  as  gold. 

Let  the  atmosphere  in  which  you  live  be  as 
pure  as  possible.  Without  holiness  you  can 
neither  see  the  Lord  in  the  life  to  come,  nor 
enjoy  his  presence  in  this.  Beware,  therefore, 
of  being  drawn  into  an  unholy  element. 
Wherever  Christian  duty  calls  you,  go;  but  if 
you  wander  from  God's  statutes,  you  cannot 
expect  his  protection.  Where  you  and  the 
precept  part,  there  you  and  the  promise  must 
part;  for  if  you  forsake  the  one,  you  will  be 
forsaken  by  the  other.  Physical  strength  is 
often  prostrated  by  a  disease  to  which  the 
system  is  predisposed;  and  as  you  are  natu- 
rally inclined  to  evil,  if  you  voluntarily  ex- 
12* 


120  RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

pose  yourself  to  it,  you  will,  in  all  probability? 
fall  by  its  influence. 

The  Christian  is  often  led  by  Divine  Pro- 
vidence where,  if  he  were  allowed  to  choose 
his  own  path,  he  would  not  go;  but  if  he  im- 
bibe the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  thus  arm  himself 
against  the  insidious  attacks  of  his  adversary, 
he  may  go  into  any  atmosphere,  into  which 
God  calls  him,  with  a  scriptural  hope  of  leav- 
ing it  uninjured.  More  depends  as  to  our 
safety,  in  trying  times,  upon  the  actual  state 
of  our  affections,  than  upon  external  circum- 
stances. For  example: — two  shrubs  are  placed 
in  the  same  soil;  and,  under  the  same  culture, 
one  flourishes,  and  the  other  withers:  and  so 
one  Christian,  though  surrounded  by  tempta- 
tions, and  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  ministe- 
rial discipline  and  fraternal  counsel,  will  be 
strong  and  vigorous;  while  another,  sheltered 
from  storm,  and  placed  where  associations  of 
thought  and  action  are  calculated  to  promote 
his  growth,  languishes  aud  declines.  How 
important,  then,  is  health  of  soul! 

Let  your   companions   be  few  and   select. 
"Evil   communications   corrupt    good    man- 


OF   SOUL  PROSPERITY.  121 

ners."  (1  Cor.  xv.  33.)  "He  that  walketh 
with  wise  men  shall  be  wise;  but  a  companion 
of  fools  shall  be  destroyed. "  (Prov.  xiii.  20.) 
"  Make  no  friendship  with  an  angry  man,  and 
with  a  furious  man  thou  shalt  not  go;  lest 
thou  learn  his  ways,  and  get  a  snare  to  thy 
soul."  (Prov.  xii.  24,  25.)  "I  am,"  said 
David,  "a  companion  of  all  them  that  fear 
thee,  and  of  them  that  keep  thy  precepts." 
(Ps.  cxix.  63.)  "Can  a  man  walk  on  pitch, 
and  his  feet  be  not  denied  ?  Can  a  man  take 
coals  of  fire  in  his  bosom,  and  his  clothes  not 
be  burnt  ?"  "  If  he  can,"  says  Dr.  Payson, "  he 
may  then  mix  freely  with  the  world,  and  not 
be  contaminated.  But  I  am  not  the  one  who 
can  do  this.  I  cannot  think  it  proper  or  ex- 
pedient for  a  Christian  to  go  into  any  com- 
pany, unless  necessity  calls,  where  he  may, 
perhaps,  hear  the  name  he  loves  and  reveren- 
ces blasphemed,  or  at  least,  profaned!  where 
that  book,  which  he  esteems  the  word  of  God, 
will,  if  mentioned,  be  alluded  to  only  to  awa- 
ken laughter,  or  i  adorn  a  tale;' — where  the 
laws  of  good  breeding  are  almost  the  only 
laws  which  may  not  be  broken  with  impunity; 
and  where  every  thing  he  hears  or  sees  has  a 


122  RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

strong  tendency  to  extinguish  the  glow  of  de- 
votion, and  entirely  banish  seriousness.  I 
speak  only  for  myself:  others  may  experience 
no  bad  effects;  but,  for  myself,  when  I  go  into 
company,  if  it  is  pleasant  and  agreeable,  it  has 
a  tendency  only  to  fix  my  thoughts  on  earth, 
from  which  it  is  my  duty  and  my  desire  to 
turn  them;— to  give  me  a  distaste  for  serious 
duties,  especially  prayer  and  meditation,  and 
to  render  me  desirous  of  the  applause  and  ap- 
probation of  those  with  whom  I  associated 

Let  your  spiritual  exercises  be  regular  and 
habitual.  Our  limbs,  our  muscles/ and  our 
minds,  improve  by  exercise;  and  exertion  is  as 
good  for  the  soul  as  for  the  body.  «  They 
that  are  after  the  flesh,  do  mind  the  things  of 
the  flesh ;  but  they  that  are  after  the  Spirit,  the 
things  of  the  Spirit-,"  (Rom.  viii.  5;)  and  as 
Timotheus  naturally  cared  for  the  prosperity 
of  the  Philippians,  so,  if  grace  thrive,  you  will 
habitually  pray,  repent,  and  believe.  We  eat 
and  drink  by  habit,  to  sustain  animal  life;  and, 
when  in  health,  we  do  not  enjoy  our  food  the 
less,  because  we  take  it  at  a  fixed  hour  in  the 
day.  And  why  should  not  those  religious  ha- 
bits, by  which   spiritual  life  is  preserved,  be 


OF  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  123 

uniform  and  established?  David  speaks  of 
calling  upon  God  seven  times  a  day;  and  why 
should  not  we  do  this?  Formality  is  to  be 
avoided;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  we  must 
be  insincere  and  heartless,  because  we  are  re- 
gular, in  our  exercises.  The  grace  of  God  is 
sufficient  for  all  things;  and  under  its  disci- 
pline and  influence  we  may  come  as  hungry 
and  as  thirsty  seven  times  a  day  to  the  throne 
of  mercy,  as  if  we  came  but  once.  Yea,  the 
probability  is,  that  the  oftener  we  come,  the 
oftener  we  shall  desire  to  come;  and  the  graces 
of  the  Spirit  will  not  only  be  strengthened  by 
a  fixed  measure  of  exercise,  but  inclined  to 
more  exercise,  in  this  exact  proportion.  We 
drink  the  water  of  life  to  be  refreshed,  and  our 
thirst  is  increased  by  the  very  means  we  use 
to  allay  it.  We  thirst,  and  drink;  we  drink, 
and  thirst  again;  and  the  water  that  Christ 
gives  us,  is  promised  to  be  within  us  a  well  of 
water,  springing  up  to  everlasting  life.  (John 
iv.  14.) 

Deal  much,  and  frequently,  by  faith,  with 
the  blood  of  sprinkling;  for  without  this,  there 
can  be  neither  purity  nor  health.  Whatever 
be  the  state  of  your  minds,  though  happy,  and 


124  RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

even  triumphant,  you  will  need  the  blood  of 
Jesus  to  cleanse  your  holy  things:  nor  can  you 
enjoy  peace  for  one  moment  without  a  refer- 
ence to  it.  Could  you  live  far  more  consistent- 
ly than  the  most  devoted  saint  upon  earth  ever 
did,  even  then  you  would  have  to  pray,  "  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  (Lukexviii.  13.) 
Beware  of  forgetting  "  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain;"  and  guard  against  the  subtle  devices  of 
the  devil,  who,  in  the  hour  of  prosperity, 
would  persuade  you  that  you  are  so  purified 
from  outward  pollution,  and  have  attained  to 
such  a  degree  of  internal  sanctification,  that  it 
is  not  expected  )tou  should  wash  in  the  blood 
of  Christ  so  frequently  as  you  have  done. 
These  suggestions  often  entangle  the  man  of 
God  when  he  first  enters  the  liberty  of  the 
Gospel;  and  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  is  more 
or  less  liable  to  suffer  from  them.  Lie  low, 
then,  at  ImmanuePs  feet  in  self-renunciation; 
and  ever  come,  as  poor,  polluted  sinners,  to 
the  fountain  he  has  opened  for  sin  and  unclean- 
ness.  With  whatever  truth  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, or  with  whatever  state  of  heart  the  blood 
of  Christ  is  connected,  with  that  truth  you  can 
have  no  fellowship,  that  state  of  heart  you  can- 


OF  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  125 

not  possess,  without  making  use  of  the  blood 
of  Christ.  By  this  blood  we  live,  '  and  have 
peace  with  God.  2  It  is  the  price  of  our  re- 
demption, 3  and  our  shield  in  battle.  4  By  it 
we  are  pardoned,5  justified,6  sanctified,7  and 
consecrated  to  the  Lord's  service.  8  It  is  the 
blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,9  the  blood 
of  sprinkling, 10  and  it  is  precious  blood.  "  It 
was  shed  for  sinners; 12  by  it  we  are  delivered 
from  the  pit  wherein  is  no  water; 13  we  are 
brought  nigh  to  God  by  it; 14  it  speaketh  bet- 
ter things  than  the  blood  of  Abel; 15  with  it,  at 
the  Lord's  Supper,  we  have  communion; 16  and 
by  it  we  enter  into  the  holiest  of  all. 17  By 
faith  it  purifies  the  heart,  18  and  saves  the  soul.  19 
Wherefore,  my  dear  friends,  make  daily  use 
of  the  blood  of  Jesus  for  life  and  liberty;  for 
rest  and  victory.  If  you  approach  God  in 
prayer;  if  you  devote  yourselves  to  his  ser- 

i  John  vi.  54.  2  Col.  i.  20.  *  Rev.  v.  9. 

4  Rev.  xii.  11.  6  Eph.  i.  7.  6  Rom.  v.  9. 

1  Heb.  x.  10.  s  Heb.  ix.  14.  9  Heb.  xiii.  20. 

10  Heb.  xii.  24.  "  1  Pet.i.  19,20.  12  Matt.  xxvi.  28. 

a  Zech.  ix.  11.  m  Eph.  ii.  13.  w  Heb.  xii.  24. 

is  1  Cor.  x.  16.  "  Heb.  x.  19.  »  Acte  xv.  9. 
•a  Mark  xvi.  16. 


126     RULES  FOR  THE  PROMOTION 

vice;  if  you  attempt  to  oppose  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil; — all  this  can  be  done  only 
by  faith  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  Your  tears 
and  your  praises,  being  imperfect,  must  be 
purified  before  they  can  be  acceptable  to  the 
Lord;  and  whether  you  discharge  a  duty,  or 
use  a  privilege,  you  must,  to  please  God,  come 
by  faith  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling.  As  guilty 
sinners,  you  must  go  to  the  cross  for  pardon; 
from  the  cross  to  the  mercy-seat  for  orders; 
from  thence  to  the  field  of  labour;  and  from 
the  field  of  labour  to  the  cross  again.  You 
cannot  go  to  Jesus  too  frequently,  nor  rely  on 
his  atonement  too  confidently. 

Lastly,  regard  your  best  interests,  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  soul,  in  all  the  movements 
and  arrangements  of  life.  In  business,  in  so- 
cial intercourse,  in  marriage,  in  recreation,  let 
the  care  of  the  soul  be  the  one  thing  needful; 
and  your  advancement  in  experimental  and 
practical  religion,  the  great  object  to  which  all 
your  occupations  and  pursuits  ought  to  be  sub- 
servient. "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  his  righteousness,  and  all  other  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you."  (Matt.  vi.  33.)   "  If 


OF  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  127 

ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do 
them."  (John  xiii.  17.) 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  CHRISTIAN,  BY  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST,  IS  SUPPLIED  WITH 
INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH  FOR  THE  DISCHARGE  OF  HIS 
OBLIGATIONS. 

"He  that  saith  he  abideth  in  him,  ought  him- 
self also  so  to  walk,  even  as  he  walked."  (1 
John  ii.  6.)  Here  is  the  standard  of  Christian 
obligation,  and  here  the  source  of  power  for 
its  discharge.  You  are  to  follow  Christ's  ex- 
ample; and  by  abiding  in  him,  your  conformi- 
ty to  his  image  will  be  secured.  To  follow 
the  excellent  of  the  earth,  so  far  as  they  fol- 
lowed Christ,  is  your  duty;  but  you  must  seek 
to  imbibe  the  spirit,  and  to  exhibit  the  moral 
excellencies  of  their  Master.  To  this  you 
were  predestinated,  (Rom.  viii.  29,)  for  this 
you  were  regenerated,  (1  Pet.  ii.  9,)  and  this 
is  the  natural  effect  of  fellowship  with  God. 
(2  Cor.  iii.  18.)  You  are  to  imitate  his  seri- 
ousness, his  zeal,  his  benevolence,  his  patience, 
his  confidence  in  his  Father's  love,  and  his 
13 


128        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

obedience  to  his  Father's  will;  and  your  obli- 
gations thus  to  walk,  even  as  he  walked,  arise 
out  of  positive  command,  out  of  love  to. his 
person,  out  of  gratitude  for  his  grace,  and  out 
of  your  adoption  into  his  family.  Some  per- 
sons, who  have  no  scriptural  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  and  who  are  in  him  only  by  an  outward 
profession,  say  they  abide  in  him;  and  many 
timid  minds,  though  they  cleave  to  him  in 
love,  are  afraid  to  say  they  abide  in  him.  But 
to  walk  as  Christ  walked,  is  obviously  the 
duty  and  privilege  of  his  people,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  their  conversion.  "  He  that  saith,  I 
know  him,  and  keepeth  not  his  command- 
ments, is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him. 
But  whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him  verily  is 
the  love  of  God  perfected.  Hereby  know  we 
that  we  are  in  him."    (1  John  ii.  4,  5.) 

The  following  propositions,  if  prayerfully 
considered,  will  assist  our  inquiries  on  the  im- 
portant subject  of  this  chapter. 

1.  The  Christian,  in  himself,  is  helpless, 
and  insufficient  for  the  work  to  which  he  is 
called  by  the  Gospel  This  we  learn  from 
the  promises  of  God;  and  its  truth  is  confirm- 
ed by  the  experience  of  every  day.     "  Work 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     129 

out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling; for  it  is  God  which  worketh  in  you 
both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 
(Phil.  ii.  12,  13.)  Not  that  we  are  sufficient 
of  ourselves,  to  think  any  thing,  as  of  our- 
selves; but  our  sufficiency  is  of  God."  (2  Cor. 
iii.  5.)  "Now  the  God  of  peace  make  you 
perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  his  will, 
working  in  you  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in 
his  sight."  (Heb.  xiii.  21.)  "A  new  heart 
also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I 
put  within  you;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony 
heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  an 
heart  of  flesh:  and  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within 
you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes, 
and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments,  and  do 
them."     (Ezek.  xxxvi.  26,  27.) 

Now,  if  we  could  walk  without  Divine  gui- 
dance, and  work  without  Divine  assistance, 
why  has  God  promised  to  lead  and  strengthen 
us?  The  provisions  of  the  covenant  are  de- 
signed to  meet  our  condition;  and  we  must 
judge  of  our  necessities,  not  only  by  feeling 
and  by  circumstances,  but  by  promises.  The 
agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  more  essen- 
tial to  our  conversion,  than  to  our  obedience, 


]30        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

by  which  that  conversion  is  tested.  If  we 
have  nothing  more  than  natural  understand- 
ing, or  natural  strength,  to  assist  us,  we  cannot 
do  the  work  of  the  Lord.  So  depraved  are 
we,  that,  when  left  to  ourselves,  we  think  of 
the  evil,  and  forget  the  good;  or  reject  the 
good,  and  embrace  the  evil.  The  dead  in  sin 
are  not  more  dependent  on  God,  for  the  com- 
munication of  spiritual  life,  than  are  those 
whom  he  has  quickened,  for  grace  to  enable 
them  to  live  and  act  in  character  with  their 
professions.  An  unconverted  man  may  dis- 
charge natural  and  moral  duties;  but,  as  an  un- 
godly man,  he  cannot  discharge  spiritual  duties. 
"  The  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea,  when 
it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and 
dirt;"  (Isa.  lvii.  20;)  and  as  in  his  flesh  dwell- 
eth  no  good  thing,  his  works  cannot  be  good. 
Many  of  his  deeds  are,  doubtless,  honourable 
to  himself  and  beneficial  to  his  fellow-crea- 
tures: but,  as  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  God,  however  rich  be  his  offerings,  and 
splendid  his  achievements,  the  motive  corrupts 
the  deed;  and,  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  fruit  he 
bears  is  obnoxious.  "  No  man  can  come  to 
me,  except  the  Father,  which  hath  sent  me, 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.      131 

draw  him;"  (John  vi.  44;)  and  we  are  as 
much  indebted  to  alluring  grace  for  every  step 
we  take,  in  the  path  of  life,  after  conversion, 
as  we  are  to  renewing  grace  for  ever  having 
awakened  our  attention  to  spiritual  blessings, 
before  conversion.  God  does  not  bestow  upon 
his  people,  when  he  regenerates  them,  a  cer- 
tain measure  of  grace,  to  carry  them  through 
their  toils  safe  to  glory;  nor  are  they  ever 
thrown  upon  their  own  resources:  moment  by 
moment,  step  by  step,  must  they  lean  on  their 
Beloved,  who  will  have  the  glory,  not  only  of 
their  redemption,  but  also  of  their  obedience. 
Without  his  aid  they  cannot  discharge  a  duty, 
obtain  a  blessing,  or  gain  a  single  conquest  over 
the  weakest  enemy  that  assails  them.  "  With- 
out me  ye  can  do  nothing."  (John  xv.  5.) 
No,  "you  cannot  shed  a  penitential  tear,  nor 
offer  an  acceptable  prayer,  nor  think  a  holy 
thought,  nor  feel  the  power  of  a  single  pro- 
mise, without  me."  "  As  the  branch  cannot 
bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine; 
no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me." 
(John  xv.  4.)  "  I  am  the  root  of  David,"  and 
"  from  me  is  thy  fruit  found."  (Rev.  xxii.  16. 
Hos.  xiv.  8  ) 

13' 


132        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

But  whence  arises  our  inability  for  our 
work?  Not  from  the  want  of  physical  power; 
nor  from  ignorance  of  the  Divine  will;  nor 
from  a  paucity  of  means: — but  from  the  influ- 
ence of  Satan,  from  the  depravity  and  pride  of 
the  heart,  from  the  perverseness  of  our  wills, 
and  from  the  activity  and  vigour  of  indwelling 
sin.  If  we  pray,  repent,  believe,  or  hope,  we 
do  it  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  assistance.  God 
forbid,  then,  that  we  should  ever  attempt  to 
do  what  he  requires  at  our  hands,  in  our  own 
strength.  "If,"  as  Dr.  Owen  remarks,  "a 
branch  be  so  separated  from  the  root  and  body 
of  the  vine,  as  that  it  receives  not  continual 
supplies  of  nourishment  from  them,  if  their 
influence  into  it  be  by  any  means  intercepted, 
it  proceeds  not  in  its  growth,  it  brings  forth 
no  fruit;  but  is  immediately  under  decay.  It 
is  so,  saith  our  Saviour,  with  believers  in  re- 
spect, unto  him.  Unless  they  have  continual, 
uninterrupted  influences  of  grace,  and  spirit- 
ually-vital nourishment  from  him,  they  can 
do  nothing;  that  is,  by  their  own  power,  or 
by  virtue  of  any  habit  or  principle  of  grace 
they  have  received,  they  can  do  nothing;  that 
is,  which  appertains  to  fruit-bearing  unto  God. 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.  133 

In  things  natural  and  civil  we  can  do  some- 
what, and  in  things  sinful,  too  much;  we  need 
no  assistance  for  any  such  purpose.  But  in 
fruit-bearing  unto  God,  we  can  do  nothing. 
Now  every  act  of  faith  and  love,  every  mo- 
tion of  our  minds  and  affections  towards  God, 
is  a  part  of  our  fruit-bearing,  and  so  unques- 
tionably are  all  external  works  and  duties  of 
holiness.  Wherefore,  our  Saviour  himself 
being  judge,  believers  who  are  really  sancti- 
fied and  made  partakers  of  habitual  grace,  yet 
cannot  of  themselves,  without  new  actual  aid 
and  assistance  of  grace  from  him,  do  any 
thing  that  is  spiritually  good,  or  acceptable 
with  God." 

2.  The  Christian  requires  both  influence 
and  strength  for  the  walk  he  is  directed  to 
take. 

He  requires  influence.  "  The  ways  of  Wis- 
dom are  pleasantness,  her  paths  are  peace," 
(Pr.  iii.  17,)  "  and  in  keeping  her  command- 
ments there  is  great  reward."  (Ps.  xix.  11.) 
But  the  Christian  is  often  indisposed  to  follow 
her  directions,  even  though  he  knows  that 
they  will  guide  him  to  liberty  and  rest.  "  The 
spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak;" 


134        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

(Matt.  xxvi.  41;)  and  yet,  by  the  influence  of 
the  flesh,  the  spirit  herself  is  sometimes  un- 
willing. "  My  soul  cleaveth  unto  the  dust; 
quicken  thou  me,  according  to  thy  word." 
(Ps.  cxix.  25.)  Oh!  the  dulness,  the  stupidi- 
ty of  our  hearts! 

"  Hardly  sure  can  they  be  worse, 
Who  have  never  heard  his  name !" 

We  are  our  own  enemies,  and  our  slothful- 
ness  nearly  proves  our  ruin.*  Upon  the 
ocean  of  life,  we  may  be  compared  to  a  vessel 
whose  sails  are  furled;  in  the  garden  of  the 
Lord,  we  resemble  plants  that  lack  moisture; 
and  in  the  temple  of  the  Redeemer,  we  are 
like  lamps  without  a  sufficient  supply  of  oil. 
Well  might  David  pray,  "Quicken  me,  0 
Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake;"  and  "incline 
mine  heart  unto  thy  testimonies,  and  not  unto 
covetousness."  We  have  often,  to  our  shame 
be  the  confession,  no  inclination,  or  but  little, 
for  prayer,  for  reading  the  Scriptures,  for 
hearing  the  Gospel,  and  for  fellowship  with 

*  The  reader  is  requested  to  examine  the  following- 
passages  : — Pr.  xviii.  9  :  xx.  4,  13  :  xxi.  25  :  xxiv.  30 — 34: 
xxvi.  14,  16. 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     135 

the  faithful !  Duty  is  a  task,  privilege  a  toil. 
Instead  of  flying  to  meet  the  Saviour,  when 
he  goes  forth  to  bless  his  people,  we  cry  with 
the  sluggard,  "A  little  more  sleep,  a  little 
more  slumber,  a  little  more  folding  the  hands 
to  sleep ;"  and  suffer  hours  and  days  to  pass 
without  evincing  much  anxiety  to  enjoy  his 
presence.  And  even  when  he  condescends  to 
knock  at  our  door,  saying,  "  Open  to  me,  and 
I  will  come  in,  and  sup  with  you,  and  you 
with  me,"  we  exclaim,  "  I  have  put  off  my 
coat,  how  shall  I  put  it  on  ?  I  have  washed 
my  feet,  how  shall  I  defile  them?"  Religion 
having  declined  in  its  life  and  power,  devo- 
tion languishes  in  its  zeal  and  spirituality. 
To  visit  the  sick,  to  relieve  the  destitute,  to 
instruct  the  ignorant,  to  warn  the  careless,  is 
now  burthensome;  and  we  suffer  a  thousand 
opportunities  of  doing  good  to  pass,  without 
attempting  to  improve  them.  We  are  deaf  to 
the  calls  of  the  Spirit,  and  blind  to  the  beau- 
ties of  the  Saviour;  or  if  we  occasionally  see 
the  one,  and  hear  the  other,  we  yet  remain 
unmoved,  and  therefore  lie  unblessed.  And 
what  is  still  more  affecting,  our  lamentations 
for   these    infirmities    are    only  formally   ex- 


136        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

pressed,  because  our  guilt  is  not  deeply  felt. 
The  Saviour's  love  is  forgotten;  his  authority 
is  disregarded;  the  law  does  not  alarm  us;  the 
Gospel  does  not  allure  us,  neither  do  the  most 
affecting  providences  instruct  us.  A  nation 
may  be  in  tears,  but  we  weep  not;  the  church 
may  either  agonize  in  distress,  or  triumph  in 
joy,  but  we  have  no  sympathy  with  her 
sorrows  or  her  praises.  We  lose  the  love  of 
our  espousals,  cast  off  our  first  works;  and, 
from  being  the  devoted  disciples  of  Jesus,  be- 
come the  careless  professors  of  his  truth. 
Mournful  state!  and  without  staying  to  in- 
quire either  into  its  cause  or  its  consequences, 
we  may  observe,  in  passing,  how  strikingly  it 
proves  the  necessity  of  Divine  influence.  Yes, 
indeed — for  no  man  can  quicken  his  own  soul 
when  dead,  preserve  it  when  alive,  or  restore 
it  when  declining.  The  excitements  of  public 
ordinances  and  the  influence  of  passing  events, 
though  teeming  with  interest,  are  insufficient 
to  move  our  sluggish  spirits,  or  to  warm  our 
cold  affections;  and  even  past  experience,  or  a 
sense  of  obligation,  will  not  call  forth  the 
energy   required    for   an  obedient  life.     No- 


INFLUENCE   AND  STRENGTH.  137 

thuig  less  than   the  power  of  God  can  do 
this. 

But  we  require  strength,  as  well  as  influ- 
ence. To  be  excited  to  a  spiritual  exercise,  in 
which  God  had  not  promised  to  assist  us, 
would  issue  in  a  reaction  the  most  distressing; 
and  instead  of  being  advanced  in  our  course, 
we  should  be  retarded.  Power,  as  well  as 
motive,  is  required  to  carry  us  through  our 
work;  for  so  difficult  is  our  course,  we  can 
scarcely  make  our  way.  It  is  not  an  easy 
thing  to  hold  fast  confidence  in  God  at  all 
times,  and  under  all  circumstances;  and  our 
difficulties  increase  with  our  progress.  Be- 
coming more  acquainted  with  our  own  hearts, 
discovering  more  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God, 
and  being  more  exposed  to  the  influence  of 
Satan  and  the  world,  instead  of  its  being  easier 
to  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  in  their 
season,  it  becomes  increasingly  arduous.  To 
profess  the  truth,  and  to  follow  the  example  of 
the  nominal  Christian,  or  even  of  the  true 
Christian,  when  he  declines  in  spirituality,  is 
easy.  But  to  believe,  to  walk,  to  fight — this 
is  hard  indeed!     In  fact,  it  is  impossible  with- 


138        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

out  the  assistance  of  the  Almighty.  Some 
parts  of  our  duty  are  easier  than  others;  but 
who  can  balance  the  higher  and  weightier 
scales  of  Christian  morals,  unless  poised  and 
sustained  by  an  Omnipotent  arm  ?  "  Ye  have 
heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  An  eye  for  an 
eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth:  But  I  say  unto 
you,  that  ye  resist  not  evil;  but  whosoever 
shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to 
him  the  other  also.  Ye  have  heard  that  it 
hath  been  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour, 
and  hate  thine  enemy:  But  I  say  unto  you, 
Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray 
for  them  which  despitefully  use  you,  and  perse- 
cute you."  (Matt.  v.  38—44.)  "  Dearly  be- 
loved, avenge  not  yourselves;  but  rather  give 
place  unto  wrath:  for  it  is  written,  Vengeance 
is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.  There- 
fore if  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him;  if  he 
thirst,  give  him  drink;  for  in  so  doing  thou 
shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head.  Be  not 
overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good."   (Rom.  xii.  19 — 21.) 

But  is  all  this  easy  ?     Is  it  not,  rather,  ex- 
ceedingly difficult?      "  Revenge,"   says   the 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     139 

natural  heart,  ais  sweet;  and  the  law  of  reta- 
liation just ;  but  who  can  be  expected  to  love 
an  enemy,  and  to  bless  a  persecutor  ?  An  eye 
for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  involves  a 
principle  we  can  understand,  and  are  willing 
to  regard;  but,  to  follow  Christ's  example, 
'  who,  when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not 
again;' — (1  Pet.  ii.  23;)  this  is  hard  indeed!" 
And  yet,  in  such  a  case,  nothing  less  than  this 
is  obedience  to  the  laws  of  Christ.  "Not 
rendering  evil  for  evil,  or  railing  for  railing; 
but,  contrariwise,  blessing;  knowing  that  ye 
are  thereunto  called,  that  ye  should  inherit  a 
blessing."  (1  Pet.  iii.  9.)  "  Say  not  thou,  I 
will  recompense  evil;  but  wait  on  the  Lord, 
and  he  shall  save  thee."  (Pr.  xx.  22.)  And 
if,  by  a  change  of  circumstances,  you  rise,  and 
your  enemy  should  fall,  and  you  have  an  op- 
portunity of  resenting  his  past  unkindness,  you 
must,  even  then,  bless,  and  not  curse.  "  Re- 
joice not  when  thine  enemy  falleth;  and  let 
not  thine  heart  be  glad  when  he  stumbleth; 
lest  the  Lord  see  it,  and  it  displease  him,  and 
he  turn  away  his  wrath  from  him."  (Pr.  xxiv. 
17.)  Rather  let  us  imbibe  David's  spirit,  who 
wept  at  the  distress  of  his  foe,  and  behaved 
14 


140       THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

himself  as  though  he  had  been  his  friend  and 
brother.   (Psalm  xxxv.  11 — 14.) 

This  humiliating  submission  to  those  who 
inflict  injury,  when  the  injured  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  retaliating,  though  honourable,  is 
difficult;  and  the  world  will  even  scorn  an 
individual  for  meekly  bearing  the  insults  of 
another.  Yet  all  this  is  Christian  duty.  But, 
as  we  have  no  strength  for  the  toils  and  sacri- 
fices it  involves,  if  destitute  of  that  moral 
courage  which  can  flow  only  from  God,  we 
shall  transgress  his  commandments,  and  by 
this  act  of  rebellion  inflict  positive  injury  upon 
ourselves. 

3.  We  must  not,  however,  neglect  duty 
because  of  its  difficulties;  for  strength  and 
ivisdom  are  both  promised. 

The  Lord  gives  grace  in  season;  and  the 
supplies  of  his  Spirit  are  adapted  to  that 
amount  of  labour  which  we  are  called  to  ren- 
der. It  is,  perhaps,  scarcely  possible  to  draw 
the  line  of  distinction  between  human  volition 
and  Divine  influence  with  such  exactness,  as 
to  mark,  with  unerring  precision,  the  point 
upon  which  turn  all  successful  efforts  to  do 
the  will  of  God;  yet  the  fact  of  our  working 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     141 

by  his  assistance  is  clearly  stated'  in  Scripture, 
and  is  apparent  to  our  own  minds. 

That  the  necessity  and  glory  of  Divine  in- 
fluence may  be  neither  forgotten  nor  obscured, 
I  must  remind  you  of  the  position  we  have 
already  taken;  that  God  only  can  incline 
the  heart  to  duty,  and  that  we  are  as  much 
indebted  to  his  Spirit  for  a  holy  thought,  as 
for  "the  Divine  nature."  But  you  must 
remember,  also,  that  though  you  work  by 
God's  assistance,  and  though  he  must  have  all 
the  glory  of  your  obedience,  the  work  is 
yours,  not  his.  Christ  died  for  the  offences  of 
his  people,  and  rose  again  for  their  justifica- 
tion; but  he  does  not  repent  and  believe  for 
them.  He,  doubtless,  works  the  principle  of 
faith  and  godly  sorrow  within  them,  and  be- 
stows the  grace  of  these  habits  upon  them; 
nor  can  they  repent  and  believe  without  his 
aid;  still,  the  act  of  repenting  and  believing 
is  theirs.  As  creatures,  we  live,  and  move, 
and  have  our  being  in  God ;  nor  can  we  put 
forth  any  physical  power  without  his  aid;  but 
it  is  the  man  who  walks  and  works,  assisted 
by  his  Creator.  And  does  not  God  afford  the 
Christian   strength  for  the  ordinary  duties  of 


142        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

his  calling?  And  in  discharging  them,  does 
he  not  receive  power  proportioned  to  their 
difficulty?  If  called,  by  Divine  Providence, 
to  undertake  a  journey  of  any  considerable 
length,  am  I  to  sit  down  at  my  ease,  and  then 
expect  that  God  will,  in  some  miraculous  way, 
carry  me  forward  ?  This  would  be  the  height 
of  folly.  No — I  must  walk  by  God's  assist- 
ance; and  not  expect  his  aid  if  I  refuse  to 
walk.  Just  so,  or  nearly  so,  it  is  with  spirit- 
ual exercises.  I  have  no  power  in  myself  to 
pray,  or  to  believe,  or  to  repent;  and  am  quite 
inadequate  to  the  task,  which  even  these  pages 
impose.  May  I  then,  on  the  ground  of  person- 
al inability  to  do  what  God  requires,  become 
slothful  and  indifferent?  Certainly  not;  my 
course  is  plain,  because  my  duty  is  obvious. 
Weak  as  I  am,  and  though,  without  Christ,  I 
can  do  nothing,  I  must  yet  attempt  to  accom- 
plish his  pleasure,  believing  that  he  will  afford 
his  promised  aid,  and  lead  me  on  to  his  own 
glory.  "My  strength,"  he  says,  " is  made 
perfect  in  weakness."    (2  Cor.  xii.  9.) 

How  often  have  we  gone  to  the  throne  of 
grace,  neither  disposed  nor  prepared  to  pray; 
yet,  in  opening  our  mouths  before  the  Lord, 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.      143 

lie  lias  filled  them  with  arguments,  and  enabled 
us  both  to  wrestle  and  prevail  with  the  Angel 
of  the  Covenant.  His  assurance  is,  "  As  thy 
day,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  He  does  not 
give  us  grace  one  week  for  the  necessities  of 
another,  nor  dying  faith  for  living  moments; 
but  day  by  day,  and  hour  by  hour,  he  supplies 
us  with  the  needful  influences  of  his  Spirit. 
We  have  frequently  been  brought  through  a 
trial,  in  comfort  and  in  peace,  which,  in  the 
distant  prospect,  nearly  overwhelmed  us:  we 
have  said,  "  'tis  impossible  for  me,  a  poor 
frail  sinful  creature,  to  live  in  that  storm,  and 
to  bear  up  under  the  mighty  out-breakings  of 
that  calamity;  and  yet,  when  brought  into  the 
difficulty,  we  were  mercifully  upheld,  and 
borne  through  without  injury.  We  have 
proved  the  power  and  importance  of  truth,  at 
the  precise  moment  when  its  influence  was 
needed;  and  after  all  our  past  experience  of 
God's  mercy,  shall  we  doubt  his  intention  to 
assist  us,  when,  by  the  calls  of  his  Provi- 
dence and  the  monitions  of  his  Spirit,  we 
are  urged  to  enterprises  apparently  the  most 
hazardous  and  difficult?  If  we  move  a  step, 
or  devise  a  plan,  independently  of  his  power 
14* 


144        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

and  counsel,  we  may  expect  failure  and  dis- 
appointment, and  if  we  neglect  duty  on  the 
ground  of  personal  insufficiency  for  its  dis- 
charge, we  despise  both  the  precepts  and  the 
promises  of  his  love;  but  if  we  attempt  his 
work,  relying  on  his  Spirit,  he  will  crown  our 
efforts  with  success.     Weakness  is  no  excuse 
for  negligence.     We  are,  indeed,  limited  both 
in  our  powers  of  body  and  of  mind;   but  we 
have  not  yet  reached  our  limitation.     "  We 
have  left  undone  the  things  which  we  ought 
to  have  done;"  and  with  all  our  grief  for  past 
omissions,  and  our  professed  desires  for  im- 
provement, here  we  are,  still  in  a  low  condi- 
tion as  to  our  experience  and  practice;  and 
with  scarcely  an  effort  to  rise.     Oh!    when 
shall  we   learn   wisdom!     When  shall  it  be 
said  of  us,  "  They  labour  to  enter  into  rest, 
they  follow  hard  after  God,  and  they  agonize 
in  prayerful  exertions  to  do  his  will!" 

4.  Now,  observe,  Christ  becomes  both  in- 
fluence and  strength  to  those  who  are 
united  to  him. 

The  union  of  Christ  and  his  church  is  a 
purifying  and  an  establishing  truth;  and  one 
which,  when  received  in  the  love  of  it,  will 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     145 

conform  us  to  his  image.  "  If  a  man  would 
know  whether  he  be  in  Christ  or  not,  he  must 
look  within,  and  ask  his  own  heart,  what  is 
there  ?  Hath  the  Holy  Spirit  been  there  ?  Is 
there  any  thing  above  nature  wrought?  Are 
there  any  features  of  the  Divine  image?  What 
is  there  of  humility,  zeal,  and  holy  love? 
What  of  purity,  mercy,  or  obedience?  See 
how  it  is  within.  If  a  mere  vacuum  be  there, 
if  the  heart  be  void  of  these  graces,  it  is  a 
vain  presumption  to  think  that  he  is  in  union 
with  Christ.  That  there  should  be  humility 
in  the  Head,  and  pride  in  the  members;  zeal 
and  love  in  the  Head,  and  coldness  and  hatred 
in  the  members;  purity,  mercy,  and  obedience 
in  the  Head,  and  uncleanness,  cruelty,  and 
rebellion  in  the  members,  is  a  thing  too  absurd 
to  be  imagined  by  any  considering  man."* 

This  union  is  a  truth  full  of  consolation  to 
the  sorrowful,  and  replete  with  power  to  the 
helpless.  It  is  compared  to  the  union  of  the 
vine  and  the  branches;  (John  xv.  1,  5;)  of  the 
foundation  and  the  building;  (Eph.  ii.  20;)  of 
the  husband  and  the  wife;  (Eph.  v.  31,  32;) 

*  Christus  in  Corde. 


146        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

of  the  king  and  his  subjects;  (Rev.  xvii.  14;) 
of  the  Father  and  the  Son;  (John  xvii.  21;) 
and  of  the  body  and  the  head.  (CoL  ii.  19.) 
And  besides  the  legal  union,  which  secures  to 
his  people  the  benefits  of  his  death,  there  is  a 
vital,  an  actual  union  between  them,  by  virtue 
of  which  they  receive  out  of  his  fulness,  and 
grace  for  grace;  and  become  savingly  ac- 
quainted with  his  power,  wisdom,  and  love. 
tc  For  both  he  that  sanctifieth,  and  they  who 
are  sanctified,  are  all  of  one;  for  which  cause 
he  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren." 
(Heb.  ii.  11.)  "  Therefore,  if  any  man  be  in 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature:  old  things  are 
passed  away;  behold,  all  things  are  become 
new."  (2  Cor.  v.  17.)  This  union  is  effected 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  great  work  of  re- 
generation; it  is  the  foundation  of  communion 
with  the  Father;  and  the  cause  of  our  actual 
fellowship  with  the  personal  and  official  grace 
of  the  Son.  It  is  not  an  accidental  union, 
where  both  parties  preserve  their  indepen- 
dence; but  a  vital  and  an  influential  one. 
"  For  no  man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh; 
but  nourisheth  and  cherisheth  it;  even  as  the 
Lord  the  church;  for  we  are  members  of  his 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     147 

body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones."  (Eph.  v. 
29,  30.) 

This  union,  though  mysterious,  is  perfectly 
obvious  to  faith;  for  it  is  that  connexion  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  soul  which  supplies  it 
with  all  its  gifts,  graces,  consolations,  and  en- 
joyments; and  secures  to  him  the  glory  of  its 
life,  of  its  health,  and  even  of  its  exertions. 
We  live,  for  he  is  our  life;  we  see,  for  he  is 
our  light;  and  he  becomes  not  only  our  right- 
eousness, but  our  wisdom  and  sanctification. 
His  work  of  grace  in  the  heart  is  perfectly 
distinct  from  his  work  upon  the  cross;  and 
we  must  actually  be  in  union  with  him,  to  re- 
ceive the  blessings  resulting  from  his  atone- 
ment. His  holiness  does  not  supersede  ours; 
but  renders  it  necessary  for  our  peace  in  this 
world,  and  for  our  salvation  in  another. 
Sanctification  is  as  positively  imparted  and 
inwrought,  as  righteousness  is  imputed  and 
embraced.  Our  life  answers  to  Christ's  life; 
and  there  must  be  a  resemblance  between  the 
head  and  the  members.  The  grace  imparted 
to  the  church,  flows  from  the  measureless 
grace  in  the  Saviour;  and  from  his  fulness  we 
receive   even    the  Holy   Ghost  with    all    his 


148       THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

plentitude  of  love,  and  sufficiency  of  influence. 
The  oil  on  Aaron's  head  ran  down  to  the 
skirts  of  his  garment;  and  Jesus  was  anointed 
with  "  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his  fellows," 
that  they  might  receive  "  an  unction  from  the 
Holy  One."  (1  John  ii.  20.)  The  humanity 
of  the  Son  was  sustained  and  carried  through 
its  work  of  suffering  by  the  indwelling  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  and  the  same  Spirit  that  dwells 
in  him,  dwells  in  his  people.  "He  that  is 
joined  unto  the  Lord  is  one  spirit."  (1  Cor. 
vi.  17.)  From  him  the  head,  the  whole  body 
is  supplied  with  nourishment;  (Col.  ii.  19;) 
and  as  each  member  is  influenced  to  discharge 
its  proper  functions,  the  whole,  being  knit  to- 
gether, increaseth  with  the  increase  of  God. 
(Eph.  iv.  16.) 

Christ  is  not  only  the  example  of  all  holy 
living,  but  the  fountain  of  all  holy  influence; 
and,  as  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
result  of  his  universal  headship,  by  his  life- 
inspiring  and  sin-dethroning  power,  his  peo- 
ple are  enabled  to  mortify  the  deeds  of  the 
body,  and  to  abound  in  every  good  work. 
Some  services  are  not  acceptable  to  God;  and 
it  does  not  follow  that  because  a  man  pleases 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     149 

himself,  he  must  please  God;  on  the  contrary, 
as  motive  and  principle  are  his  standard  of 
judgment,  many  a  costly  offering  is  offensive 
in  his  sight.*  "  Wherefore,  my  brethren,  ye 
also  are  become  dead  to  the  law  by  the  body 
of  Christ;  that  ye  should  be  married  to  an- 
other, even  to  him  who  is  raised  from  the 
dead,  that  we  should  bring  forth  fruit  unto 
God."  (Rom.  vii.  4.)  The  design  of  union 
to  Christ  is,  therefore,  fruitfulness  towards 
God;  and  by  the  resources  to  which  this  union 
introduces  us,  we  are  prepared  for  "  the  work 
of  faith,  and  the  labour  of  love." 

"Nothing  is  duty/7  says  Dr.  Owen,  "no- 
thing is  obedience  in  believers,  but  what  is 
grace  from  Christ  communicated  unto  them. 
The  preparation  of  all  fructifying  grace,  is  in 
Christ,  as  the  fruit  of  the  branches  is  naturally 
in  the  vine.  And  the  Lord  Christ  doth  spi- 
ritually and  voluntarily  communicate  this  grace 
unto  all  believers,  as  the  vine  communicates 
its  juice  unto  the  branches  naturally;  and  it  is 
in  the  new  nature  of  believers  to  derive  it  from 
him  by  faith.     This  being  done,  it  is  in  them 

*  Is.  i.  11,  15.  Amos  v.  21.  Rom.  viii.  8.;  xiv.  23. 
Jlcb.  .vi.  6. 


150       THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

turned  into  particular  duties  of  holiness  and 
obedience.  Therefore  it  is  evident  that  there 
is  nothing  of  evangelical  holiness  in  any  one 
person  whatever,  but  what  is  derived  imme- 
diately from  Jesus  Christ,  by  virtue  of  rela- 
tion unto  him,  and  union  with  him.  The  spi- 
ritual life  which  I  have,  is  not  mine  own,  not 
from  myself  was  it  educed,  not  by  myself  is  it 
maintained;  but  it  is  merely  and  solely  the  work 
of  Christ;  so  that  it  is  not  I  that  live,  but  he 
that  lives  in  me,  the  whole  of  my  life  being 
from  him  alone.  Neither  doth  this  living 
head  communicate  only  a  bare  life  unto  be- 
lievers, that  they  should  merely  live  and  no 
more,  a  poor,  weak,  dying  life,  as  it  were;  but 
he  gives  out  sufficiently  to  afford  them  a  strong, 
vigorous,  thriving,  nourishing  life.  His  trea- 
sures of  grace  are  unsearchable,  his  stores  in- 
exhaustible. His  life,  the  fountain  of  ours, 
full  and  eternal;  his  heart  bounteous  and  large; 
his  hand  open  and  liberal;  so  that  there  is  no 
doubt  but  that  he  communicates  supplies  of 
grace  for  their  increase  in  holiness  abundantly 
unto  all  his  saints.  The  withering  and  decay- 
ing of  any  member  in  Christ's  mystical  body, 
is  not  for  the  want  of  his  communication  of 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.      151 

grace  for  an  abundant  life,  but  from  the  power- 
ful interception  that  is  made  of  the  efficacy  of 
it,  by  the  interposition  and  opposition  of  in- 
dwelling sin.  Hence  it  is  that  where  lust 
grows  strong,  a  great  deal  of  grace  will  but 
keep  the  soul  alive,  and  not  give  it  any  emi- 
nency  in  fruitfulness  at  all.  Oftentimes  Christ 
gives  very  much  grace,  where  not  many  of  its 
effects  do  appear.  How  sound,  healthy,  and 
flourishing;  how  fruitful  and  exemplary  in 
holiness,  might  many  a  soul  be,  by  and  with 
that  grace  which  is  continually  communicated 
to  it  from  Christ,  which  now,  by  reason  of  the 
power  of  indwelling  sin,  is  not  only  dead,  but 
weak,  withering,  and  useless."* 

5.  As  Christ  is  both  the  head  , of  influence, 
and  a  never-failing  source  of  strength  to  his 
people,  I  want  you  now  to  feel,  that  by  his 
Almighty  assistance  you  can  walk  and 
work,  not  only  successfully,  but  ivith  com- 
fort  to  yourselves.  "  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  which  strengthened  me." 
(Phil.  iv.  13.)  You  can  do  nothing  without 
God,  but  every  thing,  that  he  requires,  by  his 

*  Dr.  Owen  v.  13,  163;  iii.  66. 
15 


152        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

assistance.  You  have  no  resources  in  your- 
selves, as  sinners;  and  as  believers;  you  em- 
ploy the  grace  of  the  covenant  as  fast  as  you 
receive  it.  You  have  no  stock  in  hand,  no 
store  out  of  Christ;  and  by  union  to  him  you 
are  brought  into  a  state  of  absolute  dependence 
upon  him.  But,  encouraging  thought!  "My 
grace,"  he  says,  "is  sufficient  for  thee:"  (2 
Cor.  xii.  9;)  and  strengthened  with  all  might 
by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man,  you  can  main- 
tain Christian  consistency. 

Your  resources,  are  the  resources  of  Deity. 
I  am  thy  God,  thy  shield,  and  thy  exceeding 
great  reward.  God,  in  the  person  and  work 
of  his  Son,  hath  entered  into  covenant  with 
you;  and  every  moral  and  natural  perfection 
of  his  nature  is  brought  to  bear  upon  your 
safety  and  comfort.  You  have  God  for  your 
guide,  guard,  and  portion;  and  by  virtue  of 
union  to  Christ,  you  have  an  interest  in  all 
that  belongs  to  the  Father.  The  infinite,  the 
boundless  treasures  of  his  grace  are  all  thrown 
open;  and,  having  access  to  them  by  faith,  you 
may  draw  from  them  whatever  you  need;  and 
you  may  do  this  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places. 
However  impoverished  and  wretched  you  may 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.  153 

be,  and  whatever  be  the  number  or  character 
of  your  trials  and  temptations,  there  is  enough 
in  God  to  replenish  and  to  satisfy  you.  All 
things  are  possible  with  God,  and  what  cannot 
you  do  in  the  strength  of  God  ?  Is  any  thing 
too  hard  for  the  Lord?  And  is  any  duty  too 
difficult  for  those  to  whom  the  Lord  imparts 
his  own  strength  ?  If  you  are  straitened,  it  is 
not  in  him,  but  in  yourselves;  (2  Cor.  vi.  12;) 
and  as  martyrs  have  been  borne  through  their 
sufferings  in  triumph,  may  you  not  hope  to 
be  carried  through  your  work  in  peace  ?  From 
what  duty  will  you  dare  to  shrink,  with  Jeho- 
vah on  your  side!  "I  made  haste,"  said  Da- 
vid, "and  delayed  not  to  keep  thy  statutes;" 
and  why  should  you  not  emulate  his  zeal  ? 
He  had  to  contend  with  your  difficulties;  and 
you  are  sustained  by  his  consolations.  But 
your  resources  are,  also, 

Those  of  incarnate  Deity.  "  It  pleased  the 
Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell" 
for  the  use  of  his  people.  (Col.  i.  19.)  He  is 
the  trustee  of  the  covenant;  in  his  hands  are 
placed  all  the  blessings  of  that  covenant,  that 
he  might  distribute  them  with  wise  and  muni- 
ficent liberality,  to  enrich  and  to  strengthen 


154        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

the  souls  of  men.  The  grace  that  dwells  in 
him  is  personal;  constituting  his  own  glory 
and  excellency;  (Ps.  xlv.  1 — 3;)  and  it  is  rela- 
tive;— fitting  him  for  the  discharge  of  his  me- 
diatorial undertakings,  and  investing  him  with 
official  authority  to  bless  the  poor  and  needy 
who  flee  to  him  for  succour.  He  has  grace  to 
meet  your  condition  in  the  eye  of  the  law; 
pardoning  your  guilt,  justifying  you  from  all 
things,  and  rendering  both  your  persons  and 
services  acceptable  to  the  Father.  He  has 
grace  to  meet  your  actual  condition;  life  for 
your  death,  light  for  your  darkness,  wisdom 
for  your  folly,  strength  for  your  weakness, 
and  holiness  for  your  impurity.  Grace  to 
meet  your  known  and  felt  condition;  healing 
your  wounds,  relieving  your  sorrows,  and  rais- 
ing you  to  a  holy  assurance  of  interest  in  his 
Father's  love.  Grace  to  meet  your  circum- 
stantial condition;  he  is  your  deliverer,  your 
guide,  your  refuge,  your  advocate.  Grace  to 
meet  your  relative  condition;  are  you  soldiers? 
he  clothes  you  in  armour;  pilgrims?  he  puts 
the  staff  of  promise  in  your  hands;  mariners? 
his  word  is  your  compass,  hope  your  anchor, 
prayer  your  sail,  the  Spirit  your  breeze.    And 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.     155 

in  him  there  is  a  fulness  of  this  grace;  and 
this  fulness  is  overflowing,  and  infinite.  In 
him  there  are  depths  of  wisdom,  love,  and 
truth;  yet  all  these  blessings  are  yours;  and  it 
is  your  privilege  to  make  daily  use  of  them 
for  your  strength  in  duty.  God  is  rich  in 
mercy  to  all  that  call  upon  him;  and  the  glory 
given  to  Christ  by  the  Father,  is,  by  the  Son, 
given  to  the  Father's  chosen,  for  their  comfort 
in  sorrow,  and  for  their  cheerful  perseverance 
in  the  paths  of  obedience.  "  And  on  this 
ground  it  is,"  observes  Dr.  Owen,  "that  if  all 
the  world  should  draw  from  one  single  pro- 
mise, an  angel  standing  by,  and  crying,  Drink, 

0  my  friends,  yea,  drink  abundantly,  take  so 
much  grace  and  pardon  as  shall  be  abundantly 
sufficient  for  the  world  of  sin  which  is  in  every 
one  of  you;  they  would  not  be  able  to  sink  the 
grace  of  the  promise  one  hair's  breadth.  There 
is  enough  for  millions  of  worlds  if  they  were, 
because  it  flows  into  it  from  an  infinite  bot- 
tomless fountain.     '  Fear  not,  0  worm  Jacob, 

1  am  God,  and  not  man/  is  the  bottom  of  a 
sinner's  consolation.  This  is  that  head  of  gold 
mentioned;  (Cant.  v.  11;)  that  most  precious 
fountain  of  grace  and  mercy.     This  infinite- 

15* 


156        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

ness  of  grace  in  respect  of  its  spring  and  foun- 
tain, will  answer  all  objections  that  might  hin- 
der our  souls  from  drawing  nigh  to  commu- 
nion with  him,  and  from  a  free  embracing  of 
him.  Will  not  this  suit  us  in  all  our  dis- 
tresses? What  is  our  finite  guilt  before  it? 
Show  me  the  sinner  that  can  spread  his  ini- 
quities to  the  dimensions  (if  I  may  so  say)  of 
this  grace.  Here  is  grace  enough  for  the 
greatest,  the  oldest,  the  stubbornest  transgres- 
sor. (  Why  will  ye  die,  0  house  of  Israel  ?' 
Take  heed  of  them  who  would  rob  you  of  the 
Deity  of  Christ;  if  there  were  no  more  grace 
for  me  than  what  can  be  treasured  up  in  a 
mere  man,  I  should  rejoice  my  portion  might 
be  under  rocks  and  mountains."* 

But  your  resources  are,  also,  those  of  in- 
dwelling Deity.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  person 
in  the  Godhead,  and  he  dwells  in  his  people 
for  ever;  and  while  the  manifestations  of  his 
love  delight  and  refresh  them,  his  own  om- 
nipotency  of  grace  secures  their  advancement 
towards  the  kingdom,  for  the  possession  of 
which  it  is  his  province  to  meeten  them.     He 

*  Dr.  Owen  10,  75. 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.      157 

is  a  leader,1  a  teacher,2  and  a  comforter.3  His 
office  is  to  quicken  the  dead,4  to  enlighten  the 
dark,5  to  heal  the  wounded,6  to  remind  the 
forgetful,7  and  to  revive  the  drooping.8  He 
helps  our  infirmities  in  prayer,9  applies  the 
promises  to  the  heart,10  glorifies  the  Saviour,11 
and  bears  witness  with  our  spirits  that  we  are 
the  children  of  God.12  It  is  by  him  we  come 
to  Jesus,13  have  access  to  God,14  walk  at  lib- 
erty,15 and  rejoice  in  hope  of  glory.16  He  is 
wind  to  the  vessel,17  oil  to  the  lamp,18  fire  to 
consume  our  offerings,19  the  water  of  life  to  the 
thirsty,20  and  the  peaceful  dove  is  his  em- 
blem.21 Oh,  what  a  suitable  agent  is  the  Di- 
vine Spirit!  Blessed  are  they  who  seek  his 
counsel,  confide  in  his  care,  obey  his  com- 
mands, walk  in  his  light,  and  repose  on  the 
succours  of  his  everlasting  love! 

Here,  then,  is  your  sufficiency  for  the  work 

i  Rom.  viii.  14.  2  jonn  xiv.  26.  3  John  xiv.  16. 

4  John  vi.  63.  *  Eph.  i.  17, 18.  c  ps.  Cxlvii.  3. 

7  John  xiv.  26.  8  Hos.  xiv.  5.  9  Rom.  viii.  26. 

10  Eph.  i.  13.  "  John  xvi.  14.  12  Rom.  viii.  15,  16. 

■a  Hos.  xi.  4.  m  Eph.  ii.  18.  is  2  Cor.  iii.  17. 

16  Rom.  xv.  13.  i"  John  iii.  8.  »  Lev.  xxiv.  2. 

»  1  Thes.  v.  19.  20  John  iv.  14.  21  Luke  iii.  22. 


158        THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

to  which  you  are  called  by  the  Gospel;  for 
duty,  however  arduous;  for  privileges,  how- 
ever abundant;  for  conflict,  however  severe; 
for  spirituality  of  character,  however  elevated ; 
and  for  death,  however  painful!  "  They  that 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength; 
they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles; 
they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  they  shall 
walk  and  not  faint."  (Is.  xl.  31.)  "My 
soul,  wait  thou  only  upon  God,  for  my  ex- 
pectation is  from  him."  (Ps.  lxii.  5.) 

6.  By  abiding  in  Christ,  you  will  re- 
ceive  both  the  influence  and  strength  need- 
ful for  your  walk. 

To  experience  much  of  the  love  of  God, 
and  of  the  power  and  preciousness  of  his  truth, 
you  must  walk  holily  before  him;  and  if  you 
are  anxious  to  do  his  will,  you  must  seek  the 
enjoyment  of  his  presence.  The  Holy  Spirit 
is  concerned  as  well  in  the  devotion  of  your 
lives,  as  in  the  spirituality  of  your  minds. 
He  has,  therefore,  given  you  directions  in  re- 
ference to  both,  which,  if  humbly  and  perse- 
veringly  followed,  will  tend  to  the  advance- 
ment of  his  kingdom  within  you,  and  lead 
you  to  attempt  its  establishment  around  you. 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.      159 

But  how  are  you  to  receive  that  grace  which 
will  constrain  you  to  live  to  the  Divine  glory? 
It  is  treasured  up  in  Christ,  and  in  him  there 
is  ample  supply.  But  you  must  receive  it, 
before  you  can  use  it.  Grace  in  Christ  only, 
is  a  Christian  doctrine,  which,  however  well 
it  may  be  understood  and  ably  defended,  will 
never  soften  the  heart  and  regulate  the  charac- 
ter: it  must  be  applied  by  the  Holy  Spirit; 
for  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  it  be  effectual 
to  salvation.  And  if  God  must  employ  his 
own  resources  for  the  holiness  of  his  people, 
surely,  in  their  endeavours  to  fall  in  with  his 
designs,  they  must  use  them  too.  If  you 
were  called  only  to  defend  the  Christian  sys- 
tem by  argument,  then  a  bare  knowledge  of 
the  truth  would  suffice;  but  as  your  pursuits 
are  spiritual,  and  as  you  have  to  war  a  good 
warfare,  and  to  work  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
unless  you  receive  Christ  and  his  fulness  into 
your  souls,  you  can  neither  conquer  nor  la- 
bour. "  As  ye  have  therefore  received  Christ 
Jesus,  the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  him."  (Col. 
ii.  G.)  "  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own 
received  him  not.  But  as  many  as  received 
him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the 


160         THE  CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his 
name."     (John  i.  11,  12.) 

But  to  receive  from  Christ  that  assistance 
which  will  enable  you  to  walk  as  children  of 
light,  you  must  abide  in  Christ.  "  As  the 
branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself  except  it 
abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can  ye,  except  ye 
abide  in  me."  (John  xv.  4.)  In  this  compa- 
rison union  is  supposed;  and  the  abiding  here 
inculcated,  is  a  consequence  of  union.  We  do 
not  say  to  believers,  be  ye  united  to  Christ, 
for  their  union  has  already  been  effected;  but 
we  say,  abide  in  him;  for  this  is  the  proof 
and  design  of  union.  The  cause  of  your  fruit- 
fulness  is  in  Christ,  not  in  you;  and  if  you 
could  abide  in  Christ  for  half  a  century,  and 
then  be  separated  from  him,  that  moment 
would  witness  your  destruction.  Such  a  se- 
paration, however,  is  impossible;  (Rom  viii. 
38,  39;)  for  how  can  that  man  perish  in  whom 
Christ  lives  and  triumphs?  A  mere  professor 
of  religion  has  no  safeguard  around  him;  and 
as  he  appears  to  be  what  he  really  is  not,  his 
apostasy  in  the  hour  of  trial  is  not  surprising. 
But  a  branch  of  the  living  vine  cannot  wither. 
<(  Let  that,  therefore,  abide  in  )7ou  which  ye 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGTH.      161 

have  heard  from  the  beginning.  If  that 
which  ye  have  heard  from  the  beginning 
shall  remain  in  you,  ye  also  shall  continue 
in  the  Son,  and  in  the  Father."  (1  John 
ii.  24.)    "  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you." 

To  abide  in  Christ  is,  indeed,  a  blessed 
privilege,  and  one,  the  honours  of  which  you 
are  unworthy  to  share;  yet,  as  the  activity 
of  the  soul,  in  believing,  is  its  perseverance  in 
well-doing,  it  is  pressed  as  a  duty.  To  abide 
in  Christ  is  as  much  a  Christian  obligation,  as 
to  depend  on  God.  In  fact,  to  depend  upon 
Christ  is  the  same  as  to  abide  in  him.  It 
means  a  daily  renunciation  of  self,  with  a 
humble  and  vigorous  cleaving  to  Christ.  The 
Lord  holds  his  people,  and  they  hold  him; 
and  because  he  does  not  let  them  go,  they  will 
not,  they  cannot,  let  him  go.  "  We  love  him, 
because  he  first  loved  us;"  and  as  long  as  his 
love  is  the  cause,  and  yours  only  the  effect,  so 
long,  and  in  the  same  proportion  to  your  be- 
lieving intercourse  with  that  love,  will  Jesus 
be  precious.  "  Happy  is  the  man  that  findeth 
wisdom,  and  the  man  that  getteth  understand- 
ing. She  is  a  tree  of  life  to  them  that  lay  hold 
upon  her,  and  happy  is  every  one  that  retain- 


162         THE    CHRISTIAN  SUPPLIED  WITH 

eth  her."  (Prov.  iii.  13 — 18.)  You  must 
abide  in  Christ,  or  cleave  to  Christ,  and  enter 
more  fully  into  him,  in  the  same  way  that  you 
were  first  united  to  him,  and  by  the  same 
means — by  faith,  by  prayer,  by  love,  and 
above  all,  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  who,  constrain- 
ing you  to  take  a  deeper  and  livelier  interest 
in  the  person  and  work  of  the  Saviour,  will 
enthrone  him  in  your  affections,  and  bring 
every  thought  and  desire  into  obedience  to 
his  will.  And,  then,  it  is  not  the  abiding  only 
that  engages  your  attention;  it  is,  also  the  de- 
sign of  it.  You  abide  in  Christ,  that  you 
may  live,  and  that  you  may  derive  from  him 
the  influence  and  nourishment  which  will  ren- 
der you  healthful  and  prosperous. 

"  Faith  is,"  says  an  evangelical  writer,  "  in 
the  spiritual  world,  like  the  law  of  the  vegeta- 
ble world,  by  which  the  fibres  of  the  branches 
have  imparted  to  them  a  fitness  and  an  apti- 
tude to  receive  from  the  stem  the  nourishment 
conveyed  by  the  latter.  A  branch  may,  in 
appearance  and  externally,  be  united  to  the 
vine;  but  if  it  be  incapable  of  absorbing  its 
juices,  the  union  is  no  more  than  outward;  it 
is   not  real,  and  the   branch  itself  will  soon 


INFLUENCE  AND  STRENGT-H.  163 

wither  and  decay.  And  in  the  same  manner, 
if  a  professing  Christian  have  not  faith,  if  he 
be  not  in  the  exercise  of  receiving  Christ  and 
his  benefits,  his  connection  with  him  is  merely 
external ;  no  real  union  subsists  between  them, 
and  he  will  be  a  withered  branch  in  the  visi- 
ble church  of  God.  There  must  be  in  the 
soul  a  power  of  receiving  Christ,  and  of  con- 
verting his  benefits  into  sources  of  nourish- 
ment, so  as  to  keep  alive  within  it  the  Divine 
life,  and  to  produce  between  it  and  Christ  an 
union  resembling  that  amalgamation  that  takes 
place  between  the  nutritive  particles  of  food 
resolved  into  chyle,  and  the  blood,  by  which 
they  are  incorporated  together,  and  life  is 
maintained  in  the  system.  He  in  whom  this 
process  of  faith  does  not  take  place,  hath  no  life 
in  him.  In  like  manner,  believers  are  spoken  of 
as  rooted  in  Christ,  and  stablished  in  the  faith. 
(Col.  ii.  7. )  Asa  tree  planted  in  the  earth 
has  received  from  the  Creator  a  fitness  and  an 
aptitude  to  draw  nourishment  from  the  soil, 
so  has  the  Christian  received  that  principle  of 
faith  by  winch  he  is  enabled  to  draw  from  the 
fulness  of  Christ  continual  supplies  of  grace 
This  aptitude  in  the  tree  maintains  its  con 
16 


164  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

nection  with  the  soil,  and  this  principle  of 
faith  in  the  believer  preserves  his  union  to  his 
Lord."* 

You  are  to  abide  in  Christ,  then,  for  the 
purpose  of  receiving  from  him  an  influence 
and  a  power  which  will  render  you  fruitful  in 
holiness,  and  give  life  to  your  movements 
when  you  go  to  the  cross  for  pardon,  or  leave 
it  for  the  field  of  labour.  Wherefore,  abide  in 
Christ,  that  a  holy  and  an  attractive  consisten- 
cy may  be  preserved,  and  the  world  be  con- 
strained to  take  knowledge  of  you,  that  you 
have  been  ivith  Jesus. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED  BY  DIVINE  TEACHING. 

It  is  written  in  the  prophets,  "  They  shall 
be  all  taught  of  God;"  and  the  necessity  of 
Divine  teaching  for  the  holiness  of  man,  is  not 
more  apparent  to  the  thoughtful,  than  are  its 
consequences  to  the  observant.  But  the  know- 
ledge which  the  Holy  Spirit  imparts  is  practi- 

*  Thoughts  on  union  to  Christ,  by  Sosthencs. 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  165 

cal,  as  well  as  experimental;    and  the  wild, 
daring  nights  of  the  visionary  are  very  differ- 
ent from  the  sober,  settled  convictions  of  the 
truly  serious.     It  is  worthy  of  remark,  too, 
that  whether  the  Spirit  convince  of  sin,  com- 
fort the  sorrowful,  or  establish  the  wavering, 
knowledge  is  the  moral  agency  by  which  he 
accomplishes  his  work.      "  And  this  is  life 
eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 
sent."     (John  xvii.   3.)     The  written  word, 
which  reveals  the  mind  of  God,  becomes,  by 
the  saving  influences  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  the 
medium  of  the    grace   of  God;    and  as  the 
"  word  worketh  effectually  in  them  that  be- 
lieve,"  and   is  also  the  virtual  cause  of  their 
spiritual  fruitfulness,  their  abiding  in  Christ 
is  in  exact  proportion  to  their  knowledge  of 
Christ.     "  Even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye 
shall  abide  in  hi?n." 

The  Holy  Spirit  discovers  the  glory  of  the 
Saviour  to  awaken  our  desires  for  his  presence, 
and  to  prepare  us  for  his  service.  One  end  of 
Divine  teaching  is  a  saving  and  an  appropria- 
ting knowledge  of  the  Saviour;  and  an  experi- 
ence of  his  willingness  and  power  to  save  is 


J  66  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

the  consequence.  The  truths  of  the  Gospel 
derive  all  their  value  and  efficacy  from  the 
person  of  Christ;  and  when  the  feelings  of  the 
heart  are  hallowed,  and  the  actions  of  the  life 
adorned,  by  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  his  name 
will  be  as  ointment  poured  forth,  and  the  pro- 
mise or  the  sermon  that  discloses  his  love  will 
be  more  precious  than  gold.  When  we  are 
truly  alive  to  his  claims,  we  are  surprised  at 
our  indifference  to  his  honour;  and  from  our 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  and  of  the 
power  of  the  tempter,  we  are  led  to  wonder  at 
the  zeal  and  devotion  of  those  who  sacrifice 
their  all  to  his  praise.  But,  as  abiding  in 
Christ  is  the  necessary  result  of  Divine  teach- 
ing, and  as  cheerful  and  conscientious  obedi- 
ence is  the  inevitable  effect  of  abiding  in  him, 
it  will  appear,  to  those  who  give  the  subject  a 
moment's  attentive  consideration,  that  an  in- 
crease of  Divine  influence  must  secure  the 
growth  and  maturity  of  Christian  graces. 

The  following  passage  of  Scripture  will 
suggest  some  profitable  reflections  on  that  par- 
ticular view  of  Divine  teaching  which  I  am 
anxious  you  should  take.  "But  the  anointing 
which  ye  have   received  of  him  abideth  in 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  167 

you;  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you; 
hut  as  the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  of  all 
things,  and  is  truth,  and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as 
it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  him." 
(1  John  ii.  27.) 

We  learn  from  this  passage  that  some  are 
taught,  not  hy  conviction  only,  but  by  unction; 
and  it  is  quite  evident,  that  although  the  latter 
always  includes  the  former,  the  former  does 
not  necessarily  involve  the  latter.  My  mean- 
ing is  this: — you  may  be  fully  convinced  that 
the  truths  you  have  embraced  are  the  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  without,  at  the  same  time,  en- 
joying their  life,  or  feeling  their  power.  And 
this,  it  is  to  be  feared,  is  the  case  with  a  large 
number  of  professors  of  all  religious  denomi- 
nations; and  which  condition  accounts  for 
their  entire,  or  comparative,  barrenness  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord.  To  be  convinced  of 
the  authenticity  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the 
nature  of  Divine  truth,  is  well;  for  this  per- 
suasion is  one  of  the  elements  of  Christian 
character;  but  to  rest  in  this  conviction,  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  light  it  imparts  to  the  mind, 
and  to  be  contented  with  the  professions  to 
which  it  leads,  without  feeling  the  power,  and 
16* 


168  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

possessing  the  love  it  is  designed,  by  its  great 
Author,  to  enthrone  upon  the  conscience,  is 
the  fault  and  error  of  thousands. 

That  is  teaching  by  the  unction  of  the  Holy 
One,  which  conveys  the  Gospel  to  the  under- 
standing and  affections,  with  the  demonstra- 
tion of  the  Spirit  and  of  power;  which  moulds 
and  fashions  the  whole  man  after  the  image  of 
the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus;  and  which  con- 
strains him  to  exhibit  and  to  commend  its 
loveliness,  purity,  and  majesty,  by  Christian 
consistency.  Dr.  Owen  remarks,  "that  a 
teaching  by  the  Spirit  of  consolation  maketh 
sweet,  useful,  and  joyful  to  the  soul  the  disco- 
veries that  are  made  of  the  mind  and  will  of 
God,  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit  of  sanctification. 
We  see  it  by  daily  experience,  that  very  many 
have  little  taste,  and  sweetness,  and  relish  in 
their  souls  of  truths,  which  yet  they  savingly 
know  and  believe;  but  when  we  are  taught  by 
this  unction,  oh,  how  sweet  is  every  thing  we 
know  of  God!  We  have  this  then  by  the 
Spirit;  he  teacheth  us  of  the  love  of  God  in 
Christ;  he  maketh  every  Gospel  truth  as  wine 
well-refined  to  our  souls,  and  the  good  things 
of  it  to  be  a  feast  of  fat  things;  gives  us  joy  and 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  169 

gladness  of  heart  with  all  that  we  know  of 
God,  which  is  the  great  preservative  of  the 
soul  to  keep  it  close  to  the  truth.  Indeed,  to 
know  any  truth  in  the  power,  sweetness,  joy, 
and  gladness  of  it,  is  that  great  security  of  the 
soul's  constancy  in  the  preservation  and  re- 
taining of  it.  They  will  readily  change  truth 
for  error  who  find  no  more  sweetness  in  the 
one  than  in  the  other.  A  teaching  by  unction 
brings  joy  and  gladness  with  it,  by  giving  the 
heart  a  sense  of  truth  wherein  we  are  instruct- 
ed. When  we  find  any  of  the  good  truths  of 
the  Gospel  come  home  to  our  souls  with  life, 
vigour,  and  power,  giving  us  gladness  of  heart, 
transforming  us  into  the  image  and  likeness  of 
it,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  then  at  work,  is  pouring 
out  his  oil."* 

There  are  some  subjects,  however,  into 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  leads  the  Christian, 
that  will  not  admit  of  this  teaching  by  unc- 
tion; such  as  sin — self — and  the  moral  law: 
these  wound  and  distress;  and  are  used  merely 
to  prepare  him  for  the  reception  of  the  love  of 
God.  The  truth  which  the  anointing-teacheth, 
is  the  doctrine  of  the  cross;  for  the  Gospel  is 

*  Dr.  Owen,  vol.  x.  p.  304. 


170  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

the  power  of  God  to  salvation,  to  every  one 
that  believeth.  (Rom.  i.  16.)  By  the  law  is 
the  knowledge  of  sin,  but  forgiveness  is  by  the 
atonement;  the  former,  is  the  ministration  of 
death;  the  latter,  the  ministration  of  life; — the 
one,  awakens  fear;  the  other,  hope;  by  one, 
we  are  terrified  at  Mount  Sinai;  and  by  the 
other,  calmed  and  blessed  at  Mount  Zion. 

It  is  not,  however,  a  knowledge  of  the  doc- 
trine of  a  sinner's  reconciliation  to  God  by  the 
death  of  his  Son,  obtained  by  conviction  only, 
that  will  heal  the  wounds,  and  stay  the  tears 
of  the  penitent.  Thousands  are,  in  their  judg- 
ments, firmly  established  in  the  theory  of 
truth,  in  whose  experience,  nevertheless,  it  is 
without  life  and  power;  they  embrace  the  doc- 
trines, admit  their  importance,  and  commend 
the  preacher  who  illustrates  and  defends  them; 
but,  affecting  to  say,  they  are  proud,  unsancti- 
oned, and  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
fact  is,  the  most  splendid  sermon,  as  to  com- 
position, ever  preached,  and  the  noblest  and 
most  conclusive  argumentative  defence  of 
Christian  doctrine  that  can  be  made,  must 
prove  powerless  as  to  the  sanctification  and 
joy  of  the  heart,  without  the  "  unction  of  the 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  171 

Holy  One."  The  understanding  may  be  en- 
lightened, the  judgment  informed,  the  con- 
science alarmed,  by  conviction ;  but  the  heart 
can  be  softened,  purified,  consoled,  and  de- 
lighted, by  unction  only.  "  We  have  this 
treasure  in  earthen  vessels,  that  the  excellency 
of  the  power  may  be  of  God,  and  not  of  us." 
(2  Cor.  iv.  7.) 

The  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  however  faith- 
ful, affectionate,  and  zealous,  that  ministry  may 
be,  apart  from  Divine  influence,  can  never 
savingly  profit  those  who  attend  it.  The  unc- 
tion of  God,  is  the  power  of  God ;  and  without 
it,  the  means  of  grace,  by  whomsoever  they 
are  used,  cannot  bless  either  the  church  or  the 
world.  One  sermon  heard  and  received  un- 
der the  melting  and  purifying  influence  of  the 
"  anointing  that  teacheth,"  will  produce  more 
moral  good  within  you,  than  fifty  without  it. 
Much  may  be  heard,  when  but  little  is  felt; 
and,  as  it  is  not  by  the  quantity  of  food  you 
eat  that  nature  is  supported,  but  by  that  por- 
tion of  it  which  is  digested,  so,  unless  you  mix 
faith  with  what  you  hear,  and  thus  convert  the 
truth  into  moral  nutriment,  the  effort  of  the 
understanding  to  embrace  and  of  the  memory 


172  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

to  retain  the  truth,  will  leave  you  destitute  of 
its  power.  If  preachers  of  the  Gospel  pos- 
sessed a  larger  measure  of  the  unction  of  the 
Spirit,  their  ministrations  would  be  more  effec- 
tual; and  they  would  be  more  alive  to  the 
great  designs  of  their  office.  The  stores  of 
literature,  the  discoveries  of  science,  the  re- 
searches of  history,  are  all  laid  under  contri- 
bution to  serve  the  cause  of  Biblical  criticism, 
to  aid  the  expositor  of  Biblical  truth,  and  to 
familiarize  Divine  things  to  the  mind  of  the 
Biblical  student;  and  yet,  comparatively,  our 
labours  are  inefficient,  and  our  souls  fruitless. 
If  we  drunk  deep  into  our  Master's  spirit;  if 
we  always  went  to  the  sanctuary  in  the  beau- 
ties of  holiness  to  worship  God,  baptized  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire,  the  weapons  of 
our  warfare,  being  spiritual,  would  be  mighty 
through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  strong- 
holds; and  the  pungency  of  our  ministrations 
would  be  an  argument  for  the  Divinity  of  our 
message,  which  men  might  gainsay,  but  which 
they  could  not  resist. 

The  power  of  truth  must  be  felt,  before  its 
preciousness  can  be  enjoyed;  and  as  the  love 
of  the  Father,  and  the  work  of  the  Son,  and 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  173 

the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  not  uninter- 
esting topics,  but  truths  of  vital  and  command- 
ing importance;  when  the  "anointing  teach- 
eth,"  in  every  doctrine  there  will  be  power  to 
move,  in  every  promise  grace  to  charm,  and 
in  every  precept  light  to  guide  our  way. 
Truths,  with  which  we  have  long  been  fami- 
liar, will  be  accompanied  with  increased  power 
to  impress,  and  arrayed  in  new  beauties  to  at- 
tract; and,  under  their  influence,  we  shall  rise 
from  our  knees  to  declare  our  convictions  of 
their  value;  and  to  prove,  by  devotedness  to 
their  requirements,  our  increasing  delight  in 
their  Author.  In  a  state  of  religious  declen- 
sion, the  mind  is  either  excited  by  novelties, 
or  the  heart  settles  down  into  actual  indiffer- 
ence to  communion  with  God;  and  when  the 
form  of  godliness  is  substituted  for  its  power, 
the  moral  extravagancies  of  the  mystic,  and  of 
the  ingenious  will  frequently  afford  more  plea- 
sure than  the  plain,  practical  announcements  of 
the  Gospel;  even  though  the  former  never 
console  or  sanctify,  and  although  the  latter  al- 
ways yield  life  and  joy  to  those  who  embrace 
them.  But  when  taught  by  the  anointing,  we 
fly  for  relief  and  for  comfort,  in  the  hour  of 


174  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

distress,  not  to  theological  novelties,  or  human 
inventions,  but  to  the  pure  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel; which,  by  guiding  us  to  the  person  and 
work  of  Christ,  introduces  us  to  liberty  and 
rest;  and  secures  that  consistency  which  is  as 
essential  to  our  happiness  as  it  is  to  God's 
honour. 

You  ought  never,  my  dear  readers,  to  for- 
get, that  Divine  truth,  without  a  knowledge 
of  Christ  and  him  crucified,  will  never  satisfy 
the  consistent  Christian;  and  that  the  more  he 
knows  of  "  Him,  in  whom  are  hid  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,"  the 
more  highly  will  he  esteem  the  truth  that  dis- 
covers his  beauty  to  the  eye,  and  sheds  his 
love  abroad  in  the  heart.  The  doctrines,  the 
promises,  and  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel  are 
valued  in  proportion  as  they  reveal  the  Saviour, 
and  inspire  the  breast  with  zeal  for  his  glory; 
and  as  they  derive  all  their  importance  and 
their  power  from  their  relation  to  His  person, 
which  is  "  full  of  grace  and  truth,"  a  know- 
ledge of  him  must  endear  them;  and  a  belief 
in  them  must  promote  communion  with  him. 
Dr.  Owen  justly  observes,  "  As  the  truth  is  the 
only  means  of  illumination,  it  cannot  commu- 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  175 

nicate  any  light  unto  the  mind,  but  only  as  it 
is  a  beam  from  Christ.  Separated  from  him, 
and  its  relation  unto  him,  it  cannot  communi- 
cate any  real  spiritual  light  or  understanding 
to  the  souls  of  men.  Then  alone  is  the  mind 
irradiated  with  heavenly  truth,  when  it  is  re- 
ceived as  proceeding  from,  and  leading  to  the 
Sun  of  righteousness,  the  blessed  spring  of  all 
spiritual  light,  which  is  Christ  himself.  What- 
ever notional  knowledge  men  may  have  of 
Divine  truths  as  they  are  doctrinally  proposed 
in  the  Scriptures ;  yet  if  they  know  them  not 
in  their  respect  unto  the  person  of  Christ,  as 
'me  foundation  of  the  counsels  of  God;  if  they 
discern  not  how  they  proceed  from  him,  and 
centre  in  him,  they  will  bring  no  saving 
spiritual  light  into  their  understandings.  As 
professors  of  truth,  if  separated  from  Christ, 
as  unto  real  union,  are  withering  branches;  so 
truths  professed,  if  doctrinally  separated  from 
him,  or  their  respect  unto  him,  have  no  living 
power  or  efficacy  in  the  souls  of  men.  He  is 
the  life  and  soul  of  all  truths,  without  which, 
as  they  are  written  in  the  word,  they  are  but 
a  dead  letter,  and  that  of  such  a  character  as  is 
illegible  unto  us,  as  unto  any  real  discovery  of 
17 


176  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

the  grace  and  love  of  God.  Hence  it  is,  that 
the  knowledge  and  profession  of  the  truth 
with  many,  is  so  fruitless,  inefficacious,  and 
useless.  It  is  not  known  in  its  relation  unto 
Christ,  on  which  account  alone  it  conveys 
either  light  or  power  to  the  soul.  Men  pro- 
fess they  know  the  truth;  but  they  know  it 
not  in  its  proper  order,  in  its  harmony  and 
use.  It  leads  them  not  to  Christ,  it  brings  not 
Christ  to  them;  and  so,  as  to  their  holiness 
and  salvation,  is  lifeless  and  useless.  Hence 
ofttimes  none  are  more  estranged  from  the 
life  of  God  than  such  as  have  much  notional 
knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  Scripture. 

How  desirable,  then,  is  that  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  which  "the  anointing  teacheth!" 
and  how  important  is  it  to  those  who  would 
"  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith 
they  are  called!"  My  dear  young  friends, 
seek  this;  and  seek  it  constantly  and  fervent- 
ly, that  your  experience  may  be  hallowed,  and 
your  practice  regulated.  As  there  may  be 
light  in  the  understanding  when  there  is  no 
life  in  the  soul,  you  must  be  as  cautious 
against  speculative  orthodoxy,  as  against  senti- 
mental heterodoxy.     The  knowledge  of  truth 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  177 

which  you  must  possess,  to  be  both  happy 
and  consistent,  is  that  which  the  teaching 
by  unction  alone  can  impart;  and  as  this  teach- 
ing must  secure  your  abiding  in  Christ; — 
"for  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall 
abide  in  him;" — it  will  conform  you  to  his 
image,  elevate  you  above  the  world,  and  con- 
strain you  to  maintain  dignity  of  character  to 
his  glory.  You  will  not  then  be  contented  to 
lay  upon  his  altar  a  tithe  of  your  time,  pro- 
perty, and  influence;  but  all  you  have  will  be 
laid  at  his  feet,  in  cheerful  surrender,  to  be 
employed  in  his  service,  according  to  his  plea- 
sure. The  accomplishment  of  the  designs  of 
truth  involves  an  enjoyment  of  its  power;  and 
the  very  moment  you  properly  feel  your  ne- 
cessities, and  rightly  express  your  obligations, 
that  instant  will  your  consistency  of  character 
and  your  advancement  in  the  Divine  life  be 
apparent  to  all  about  you.  One  design  of  the 
reception,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  truth,  is 
sanctiiication;1  another,  liberty;2  a  third,  hu- 
mility;3 a  fourth,  growth  in  grace;4  a  fifth, 
fruitfulness;5   a   sixth,    the  exhibition   of  the 

>  John  xvii.  17         2  John  viii.  32.        «  2  Cor.  x.  4,  5. 
*  1  Pet.  ii.  2.  *  Col.  i.  5,  6. 


178         ABIDING    IN   CHRIST   SECURED 

moral  virtues  of  Christ;1  and  by  ascertaining 
the  influence  the  Gospel  has  over  your  cha- 
racter, you  may  test  your  knowledge  of  its 
truths,  and  ascertain  whether  you  "have  an 
unction  from  the  Holy  One."  "Let  that, 
therefore,  abide  in  you  which  ye  have  heard 
from  the  beginning.  If  that  which  ye  have 
heard  from  the  beginning  shall  remain  in  you, 
ye  also  shall  continue  in  the  Son,  and  in  the 
Father."2 

Abide  in  Christ,  then,  for  practical  purposes. 
God  forbid  you  should  attempt  to  work  for 
life ;  or,  having  received  the  gift,  imagine  you 
can  preserve  it  in  your  own  strength.  By 
abiding  in  Christ,  you  will  guard  against  self- 
righteousness;  and  be  constrained  to  magnify 
the  grace  by  which  you  are  prepared,  in  the 
valley  of  humiliation,  for  the  battles  and  the 
service  of  the  Lord.  You  can  no  more  la- 
bour successfully,  as  the  servants  of  God,  after 
regeneration  ;  than  you  could  have  merited 
his  mercy,  when  you  were  far  from  righteous- 
ness. To  honour  his  name,  by  obedience  to 
his  will,  you  must  continually  depend  on  the 

i  lPet.il.  9.  21  John  ii.  24. 


BY    DIVINE    TEACHING.  179 

Holy  Spirit.  Your  efforts,  also,  must  have 
Jesus  for  their  beginning  and  end,  to  be  ac- 
ceptable in  his  sight;  and  as  the  altar  sancti- 
fies the  giver  and  the  gift,  the  means  you 
employ  for  his  glory,  will  promote,  by  his 
blessing  attending  them,  the  spirituality  of 
your  own  minds. 

And  do  not  think  that  you  will  ever  be 
brought  into  that  state  upon  earth  when  the 
blood  of  Christ  will  no  longer  be  required. 
However  heavenly  your  conversation,  en- 
larged your  benevolence,  and  disinterested 
your  sacrifices,  you  can  have  no  communion 
with  God,  without  faith  in  the  blood  of  his 
Son.  If  you  work  aright,  and  walk  by  the 
directions  of  his  word,  in  proportion  to  your 
exertions  for  his  glory,  will  your  conscious- 
ness of  obligation  to  his  Spirit  increase.  Real- 
izing his  grace,  you  will  discover  so  clearly 
your  poverty  and  guilt,  that,  in  the  most  obe- 
dient and  fruitful  hour  of  your  lives,  you  will 
cry  out,  "Unclean,  unclean!"  The  doctrine 
of  the  atonement  will  never  be  more  precious 
to  you,  than  when  your  practice  accords  with 
your  professions.  Inconsistency,  while  it  ar- 
gues the  absence  of  life  and  power  from  the 
17* 


180  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

heart,  hardens  the  conscience  against  those 
very  convictions  of  the  necessity  and  value  of 
the  Saviour's  blood,  which  keep  alive  in  the 
mind  of  the  consistent,  intense  desires  both  for 
pardon  and  purity. 

You  must,  then,  guard  and  pray  against  that 
self-seeking,  and  that  self-pleasing,  which  is 
the  bane  of  soul  prosperity;  and  a  dishonour 
to  the  Christian  name.  Upon  a  dying  bed, 
nothing  will  bear  up  your  sinking  spirits,  but 
faith  in  the  doctrine  of  Divine  substitution. 
Except  as  your  prayers  and  exertions  may  aid 
you  in  determining  the  certainty  of  the  Lord's 
work  upon  your  hearts,  they  will  not,  how- 
ever numerous  and  spiritual  they  may  have 
been,  afford  you  one  moment's  peace.  The 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  though  a  work  of 
importance  and  of  necessity,  forms  no  part  of  a 
sinner's  title  to  glory;  it  is  his  meetness  for 
heaven;  but  the  ground  of  his  acceptance  be- 
fore God,  is  the  obedience  and  death  of  Christ, 
without  a  tear,  or  a  prayer,  or  a  work,  of  his 
own.  So  perfect  and  meritorious  is  the  Sa- 
viour's righteousness,  that  the  believer,  for  the 
sake  of  it,  is  forgiven  all  his  trespasses,  justi- 
fied from  all  the  charges  of  the  law,  and  raised 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  181 

above  condemnation.  "His  blood  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin,"  and  removes  out  of  the  way 
every  possible  obstruction  to  our  salvation. 
"He  is  made  of  God  unto  us  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemp- 
tion;" and  the  song  we  sing  upon  earth, 
amidst  our  toils  and  sufferings,  is  that  which 
the  glorified  sing  in  heaven,  as  they  rest  from 
their  labours,  and  glory  in  the  Saviour's  medi- 
ation. "  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed 
us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath 
made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father;  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever.     Amen."  (Rev.  i.  5,  6.) 

Still,  my  dear  friends,  your  hearts  are  so 
deceitful,  that,  unless  you  constantly  watch 
and  pray,  even  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
within  you,  and  your  exertions  to  promote  the 
glory  of  God  by  his  assistance,  will  become  a 
snare  to  you.  When  your  souls  are  in  pros- 
perity, Satan  may  tempt  you  to  spiritual  pride; 
and  in  adversity  he  may  awaken  desponding 
fears.  He  may  persuade  you  to  look  with 
some  degree  of  complacency  upon  this  prayer, 
and  upon  that  exertion;  but  if  you  would  la- 
bour abundantly,  and  yet  be  humble  you  must 


182  ABIDING  IN  CHRIST  SECURED 

pray  that  the  impurity  of  the  duties  you  have 
discharged,  as  well  as  the  sins  you  have  com- 
mitted, may  be  washed  away  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb.  It  is  no  less  your  duty  to  shed 
tears  of  repentance  over  your  labours  for  God, 
than  over  your  departures  from  God.  You 
can  do  but  little  for  Christ  at  any  time,  and  in 
your  best  moments  can  lay  only  a  very  imper- 
fect offering  upon  his  altar.  And  when  you 
think  of  the  pride,  of  the  selfishness,  and  of 
the  folly,  which  frequently  concur  to  throw  a 
shade  around  your  obedience,  you  may  well 
hide  your  heads,  and  smite  your  breasts  in 
sorrow.  Upon  your  knees  in  the  closet,  at  the 
sacramental  table,  when  you  have  given  either 
your  money  or  your  counsel  to  his  cause,  so 
unworthy  have  your  services  been  of  his  no- 
tice, that,  but  for  the  exercise  of  his  patience, 
he  would  have  cut  you  down,  and  cast  you  off 
for  ever.  Wonder,  0  heavens,  and  be  aston- 
ished, 0  earth,  at  the  condescension  of  the 
Divine  Being  to  the  children  of  men!  He 
bears  with  their  infirmities,  and  even  rewards 
their  diligence.  For  "  a  cup  of  cold  water, 
given  to  a  disciple,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple, 
shall  not  lose  its  reward."  (Mark  ix.  41.) 


BY  DIVINE  TEACHING.  183 

But  again,  I  say,  beware  of  self-righteous- 
ness, of  inactivity,  and  of  spiritual  pride.  Live 
by  faith  upon  the  Saviour,  and  walk  humbly 
with  God.  "Herein  is  my  Father  glorified, 
that  ye  bear  much  fruit;  so  shall  ye  be  my 
disciples.  And  even  as  the  anointing  hath 
taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  him." 

Robert  Hall  has  beautifully  observed — "  As 
the  natural  consequence  of  being  long  under 
the  guidance  of  another  is  a  quick  perception 
of  his  meaning,  so  that  we  can  meet  his  wishes 
before  they  are  verbally  expressed,  something 
of  this  ready  discernment,  accompanied  with 
instant  compliance,  may  reasonably  be  expect- 
ed from  those  who  profess  to  be  habitually  led 
by  the  Spirit. 

"As  in  worldly  concerns  it  is  of  conse- 
quence to  embrace  opportunities,  and  to  im- 
prove critical  seasons,  so  it  is  in  the  things  of 
the  Spirit.  There  are  times  peculiarly  favour- 
able, moments  of  happy  visitation,  when  much 
more  may  be  done  towards  the  advancement 
of  our  spiritual  interest  than  usual.  There  are 
gales  of  the  Spirit,  unexpected  influences  of 
light  and  power,  which  no  assiduity  in  the 
means  of  grace  can  command,  but  which  it  is 


184     INDICATIONS  OP  CHARACTER,  AND 

a  point  of  wisdom  to  improve.  If  the  hus- 
bandman is  attentive  to  the  vicissitudes  of 
weather  and  the  face  of  the  sky,  that  he  may- 
be prepared  to  take  the  full  benefit  of  every 
gleam  of  sunshine  and  every  falling  shower; 
how  much  more  alert  and  attentive  should  we 
be  in  watching  for  those  influences  from  above 
which  are  necessary  to  ripen  and  mature  a  far 
more  precious  crop."  "  Sow  to  yourselves  in 
righteousness,  reap  in  mercy;  break  up  your 
fallow  ground;  for  it  is  time  to  seek  the  Lord, 
till  he  come  and  rain  righteousness  upon  you." 
(Hos.  x.  12.) 


CHAPTER  XL 

INDICATIONS    OF   CHARACTER,    AND    EXHORTATIONS   TO 
CONSISTENCY. 

Our  Saviour  told  his  disciples,  that  in  him 
they  should  have  peace,  that  he  would  prepare 
a  place  for  them  in  his  Father's  house,  and 
that  he  would  send  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Com- 
forter, to  abide  with  them  for  ever.  And  this 
he  said  for  the  comfort  and  encouragement  of 
his  people  in  every  subsequent  age. 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.        185 

But  do  Christians  believe  the  promises  of 
the  Gospel?  Are  they  aware  of  their  nume- 
rous privileges,  and  sincere  in  their  professions 
of  love  to  God?  These  questions,  startling, 
and  unnecessary  as  they  may,  at  first,  appear, 
will  not,  I  am  sure,  upon  mature  consideration, 
be  thought  out  of  place  in  a  work  like  this. 

In  all  earthly  concerns,  men  observe  some- 
thing like  general  consistency;  for,  whatever 
may  be  the  folly  of  the  aged,  and  the  imprudence 
of  the  young,  they  pursue  the  objects  of  their  de- 
sires with  regularity  and  perseverance;  using 
the  fittest  means,  according  to  their  judgments, 
for  the  accomplishment  of  their  end.  Whether 
their  pursuits  be  scientific,  commercial,  or  lite- 
rary; or  whether  they  involve  merely  manual 
labour  and  domestic  duties,  they  prosecute 
their  calling  with  assiduity,  and  throw  into  the 
arrangements  of  each  succeeding  day,  the  ex- 
perience and  the  knowledge  gained  by  either 
the  failures  or  the  successes  of  the  preceding 
one.  They  are  aware  of  the  laws  by  which 
Divine  Providence  controls  the  universe,  and 
of  the  principles  by  which  the  events  of  a  na- 
tion, of  a  family,  or  of  an  individual,  are  con- 
ducted to  their  legitimate  issues;  and  they  act 


186     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

accordingly.  If  they  wish  to  preserve  health, 
they  will,  if  they  have  the  opportunity  of 
doing  so,  strictly  observe  physical  rules;  and 
if  they  desire  the  removal  of  disease,  they  will 
employ  the  means  which  God  has  mercifully 
appointed  for  this  purpose.  If  they  contem- 
plate success  in  any  undertaking,  they  will 
neither  neglect  nor  disturb  that  course  of  cir- 
cumstances which  they  believe  will  lead  to 
the  anticipated  result;  and  in  proportion  to  the 
importance  of  the  undertaking,  and  to  the  diffi- 
culties which  attend  it,  will  be  their  devotion 
to  its  claims.  If  they  intend  to  provide,  by 
honest  means,  for  the  probable  wants  of  old 
age,  or  for  the  necessities  of  a  rising  family, 
they  will  raise  their  income  to  the  highest 
possible  rate,  and  preserve  their  expenditure 
within  prudent  limits,  if  not  reduce  it  to  the 
lowest  possible  scale  of  disbursement,  consist- 
ent with  faith  in  Divine  Providence,  and  grati- 
tude for  the  blessings  it  bestows.  And  where 
is  the  man  who  would  not  part  with  the  lesser 
good  for  a  greater,  and  relinquish  one  engage- 
ment for  another  more  favourable  to  his  de- 
sires, and  more  advantageous  to  his  circum- 
stances?    At  all  events,  the  men  of  the  world 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.        187 

evince  consistency  in  their  pursuits;  they  rise 
early,  sit  up  late,  and  eat  the  bread  of  careful- 
ness. There  is  a  uniformity  in  their  designs 
and  efforts.  They  are  convinced,  and  upon 
that  conviction,  if  possible,  they  act. 

But  are  Christians  as  consistent  in  reference 
to  their  devotions,  as  worldly  men  arein  refer- 
ence to  their  occupations?  Our  Saviour  said, 
and  for  the  truth  of  his  saying  we  may  refer  to 
the  conduct  of  those  whom  it  concerns — "The 
children  of  this  world  are  in  their  generation 
wiser  than  the  children  of  light."  (Luke  xvi. 
S.)  Yes,  indeed; — the  latter  are  inconsiderate 
and  imprudent,  compared  with  the  former. 
The  one  have  their  impressions,  and  retain 
them;  the  other  act  as  if  they  had  never  been 
influenced  by  principles,  which  yet  they  ac- 
knowledge to  be  dearer  to  them  than  life.  Chris- 
tians, though  the  most  reasonable  of  men,  are, 
in  some  cases,  the  most  inconsistent.  Their 
love  to  God,  their  belief  in  the  Saviour,  and 
their  delight  in  spiritual  blessings,  is  perfectly 
consistent.  Whatever  they  do  for  God,  by 
his  direction,  is  their  reasonable  service;  but 
when  their  habits  and  conduct  are  compared 
with  their  privileges,  and  their  professions 
18 


188     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

with  their  pursuits,  then  appears  their  incon- 
sistency. "  That  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the 
spirit,  and  that  when  they  would  do  good,  evil 
is  present  with  them,"  is  a  truth  which  no 
Christian  can  deny;  and  religious  experience 
may  solve  this  difficulty  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  casuist.  Still  the  impression,  in  all  its  ful- 
ness and  power,  remains,  that  the  Christian  is 
the  most  inconsistent  of  men. 

Not  to  refer  to  the  individual  who  has  but 
recently  been  convinced  of  sin,  and  who  may 
be  in  doubt  and  distress,  let  us,  for  a  moment, 
turn  our  attention  to  those  who  have  some- 
thing like  the  full  assurance  of  hope,  and  who 
have  reason  to  conclude  that  they  are  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  As  the  question  recurs — Do 
these  persons  believe  the  Bible,  and  are  they 
sincere  in  their  avowals? — let  us  institute  in- 
quiry into  the  subject.  Believe  the  Bible! 
say  you — why,  who  can  doubt  their  faith  in 
the  Scriptures,  since  they  have  embraced  him 
of  whom  they  testify,  even  Jesus,  the  Saviour 
of  sinners?  They  rely  on  his  atonement  for 
acceptance  with  God;  he  is  to  them  the  alto- 
gether lovely,  and  the  chief  of  ten  thousand. 
They  acknowledge  him  to  be  their  Lord,  they 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.        189 

have  chosen  him  for  their  portion,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  enabled  them  to  resolve, 
henceforth  and  for  ever,  to  serve  him.  Be- 
sides, they  speak  of  the  manifestations  of  his 
presence,  of  the  wounds  he  has  healed,  of  the 
doubts  he  has  removed,  and  of  the  bliss  he  has 
imparted.  In  prayer  they  pour  forth  their 
souls  in  ardent  and  intense  supplications;  in 
confessing  their  sin  they  lament  its  commis- 
sion, feel  its  burthen,  and  avow  hostility  to  its 
very  being;  and  in  praise  and  adoration  they 
express  their  love  to  God,  and  bless  him  with 
all  their  souls. 

Well,  all  this  is  true;  and  more  than  this  is 
felt,  if  we  may  credit  what  is  said.  But  we 
cannot  help  asking  the  question — Do  they  be- 
lieve the  Bible?  To  question  the  existence  of 
their  faith  in  the  Scriptures  would,  you  tell  us, 
unchristianize  them  altogether;  for  "  he  that 
believeth  not,  shall  be  damned."  But  this  is 
neither  our  intention  nor  desire.  Why,  then, 
ask  the  question?  Simply  for  this  reason; — 
that,  receiving  a  confession  of  their  faith,  we 
may,  with  fidelity  and  affection,  remind  them 
of  their  inconsistencies. 

What,  then,  do  the  Scriptures  declare  con- 


190     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

cerning  the  state,  the  privileges,  and  the  pros- 
pects of  the  Christian?  To  answer  this  inquiry 
at  length  is  beyond  our  purpose,  and  would 
occupy  more  time  than  we  can  spare.  We 
may, however,  just  observe, that  the  Christian — 
I  speak  of  the  man  to  whom  the  second  chap- 
ter of  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians  is  generally 
applicable — is  a  child  of  God,  an  heir  of  God, 
and  a  joint-heir  with  Jesus  Christ;  he  is  ac- 
cepted, justified,  pardoned,  adopted,  and  in 
actual  union  with  the  Son  of  the  everlasting 
Father;  and  by  the  in-dwelling  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  he  is  sanctified,  and  brought  into  fellow- 
ship with  God.  He  is  watched,  defended, 
guided  and  upheld  by  the  Saviour  every  mo- 
ment of  his  life;  his  bread  and  water  are  sure; 
and  his  afflictions  are  an  agency  which  Infinite 
Wisdom  employs  for  his  purity,  peace  and 
comfort.  Jesus  was  born,  and  died,  rose,  and 
ascended  to  heaven,  and  ever  lives  to  make 
intercession  for  him; — "  all  things  are  his, 
whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the 
world,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or 
things  to  come;  all  are  his,  and  he  is  Christ's, 
and  Christ  is  God's."  (1  Cor.  iii.  22,  23.) 
And  then,  to  crown  the  whole,  he  is  travelling 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.       191 

to  glory,  and,  in  God's  appointed  time,  shall 
sit  with  Christ  upon  his  throne.  (Rev.  i i  1-  21.) 
Here  we  pause — for  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor 
ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared 
for  them  that  love  him."  (1  Cor.  ii.  9.)  "  Be- 
loved, now  are  we  the  sons  of  God;  and  it 
doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be:  but  we 
know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  (1 
John  iii.  2.) 

If  such,  then,  be  the  Christian's  privileges 
and  prospects; — if  such  his  relation  to  God, 
and  angels,  and  heaven; — if  such  his  supports 
and  consolations; — if  Jesus  be  his  friend,  his 
brother,  his  portion; — what  ought  to  be  the 
spirituality  of  his  mind,  the  sanctity  of  his  af- 
fections, and  the  devotion  of  his  life?  He  ought 
to  live,  to  speak,  and  to  act,  not  as  a  man  of 
this  world,  but  as  an  inhabitant  of  another;  not 
as  a  being  whose  powers  of  mind  are  called 
into  existence  to  be  amused  with  that  which  is 
material,  or  to  explore  the  depths  of  that  which 
is  intellectual  only  in  its  relation  to  time,  but 
as  a  being  who  has  been  brought  into  union 
with  the  Deity;  and  who  from  the  depths  of 
18* 


192      INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

God's  eternal  blessedness  is  destined  to  draw 
his  life  and  his  felicity  through  illimitable 
ages; — as  a  man  for  whose  salvation  the  Son 
of  God  expired  upon  the  cross  amid  the  exe- 
crations of  devils,  and  the  outpourings  of  his 
Father's  ire; — as  a  man  for  whom  heaven  is 
prepared,  and  who  is  in  preparation  for  its  ser- 
vices and  enjoyments.  Oh!  who  can  tell  what 
the  Christian  ought  to  be?  for  who  can  balance 
his  glory,  or  measure  his  bliss?  But  he  is  a 
Christian — he  feels  that  he  is  one — and  this  is 
enough  for  our  purpose. 

Now  let  us  ask,  What  are  his  habits?  Are 
they  in  character  with  his  professions?  Re- 
member, we  do  not  plead  for  such  a  religious 
state  of  mind  as  would  unfit  him  for  the  ordi- 
nary duties  of  life.  The  Christian  probably  is 
a  man  of  business,  or  the  father  of  a  family,  or 
he  may  be  called  to  sway  the  destinies  or  the 
sceptre  of  an  empire;  and  whatever  situation 
in  life  Providence  may  call  him  to  fill,  he  must 
not  be  inattentive  to  its  obligations.  All  that 
we  plead  for  is  Christian  consistency,  as  well 
in  its  relation  to  God  as  to  man.  But  Chris- 
tians, generally,  live  and  act  as  if  they  credited 
only  a  part  of  the  Bible ;  as  if  they  were  in- 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.      193 

terestcd  in  but  few  of  its  promises ;  or  as  if 
they  were  bound  to  regard  only  now  and  then 
one  of  its  precepts.  Oh,  for  an  elevated 
standard  of  piety!  for  powerful  impressions 
of  Divine  things!  and  for  an  influence  that 
shall  bear  us  onward  in  the  ways  of  God  to 
victories  and  to  triumphs  of  which  we  have 
read — in  the  contemplation  of  which  we  have 
indulged — but  the  glories  and  the  songs  of 
which  we  have  neither  shared  nor  sung! 

My  dear  young  friends,  let  me  detain  your 
attention  for  a  few  moments  longer,  to  guard 
you  against  some  of  the  common  infirmities 
of  your  fathers,  and  to  exhort  you  to  a  noble 
consistency  in  your  profession  of  the  Gospel 

Let  me  caution  you  against  an  unlawful  at- 
tachment to  earthly  things.  "  Set  your  affec- 
tions on  things  above,  not  on  things  on  the 
earth.  For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God."  (Col.  iii.  2,  3.)  "Love 
not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in 
the  world."  (1  John  ii.  15.)  The  world  is 
your  enemy.  Christ  has,  indeed,  overcome 
it  for  you,  and  you  have  gained  a  victory  over 
it  by  faith,  yet  it  will  apply  its  enmity  and 
pride,  its  wisdom  and   depravity,  to  prevent 


194       INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

your  progress  in  the  life  of  faith.  Fight, 
therefore,  that  you  may  lay  hold  on  eternal 
life.  The  world  will  be  to  you,  what  it  has 
ever  been  to  the  Christian,  not  a  vineyard  of 
delights,  but  a  land  of  thorns — a  weary  land. 
Visionary  beauties  have  been  sketched  by  the 
writers  of  novels  to  amuse  the  man  of  fashion, 
and  to  intoxicate  the  thoughtless;  but  before 
the  delusive  hope  of  the  romantic  has  settled 
down  into  calm  expectation,  or  the  poisonous 
nectar  has  moistened  the  feverish  lip  of  the 
dissolute,  a  crowd  of  cares,  which  neither 
gaiety  nor  infidelity  can  throw  off,  bear  down 
the  energies  of  both  body  and  mind ;  and  man 
starts  from  his  dream  of  earthly  bliss  to  en- 
dure the  ills  of  a  life  which  sin  has  imbitter- 
ed,  but  which  religion  has  never  blessed.  If 
it  be  inconsistent  with  the  design  of  man's 
moral  being,  and  with  the  religious  advantages 
which  he  either  does,  or  which  he  might  en- 
joy, to  fix  his  affections  on  earth,  surely  it 
must  be  much  more  inconsistent  for  a  Chris- 
tian so  to  do. 

Live  in  the  constant  expectation  of  a  dying 
hour.  Death  is  always  about  us;  it  hangs 
on  every  throne  the  memorials  of  mortality, 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.        195 

opens  a  sepulchre  in  every  social  connexion, 
bathes  every  family  in   tears,  and   conquers 
him    before   whom   a   world    has   trembled. 
"  Surely  the  people  is  grass."     And  }7ou,  too, 
must  die;  and  you  may  die  soon.     Be,  then, 
at  all  times,  detached  from  earth,  that,  when 
death  arrives,  you  may  be  neither  surprised  at 
its  approach,  nor  unprepared  to  meet  it.     It 
must  be  a  solemn  thing  to  pass  the  threshold 
of  time  into  that  dark-unseen,  whither  all  go, 
but  whence  none  return ;  yet  it  is  your  privi- 
lege not  only  to  meet  death   with  calm   sub- 
mission, but  with  holy  joy.      If  you  go  to  the 
grave  leaning  on  Jesus,  you  need  not  fear  fall- 
ing into  it.     He  will  be  your  light  and  salva- 
tion ;  your  refuge  and  strength.     There  may 
be  but  a  step  between  you  and  the  tomb,  or 
years  may  roll  away  before  you  reach  it ;  but 
of  one  thing  be  assured — if  your  conversation 
be  now  in  heaven,  you  will  be  prepared  to 
shun  the  temptations  of  life,  and  to  sustain  the 
conflicts  of  the  parting  hour.     "  Watch  there- 
fore; for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord 
doth  come."  (Matt.  xxiv.  42.) 

Again.     To  be  consistent  with  your  pro- 
fessions, you  must  not  be  alarmed  at  afllic- 


J  96     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

tions,  nor  rebellious  and  discontented  when 
passing  through  them.  "  Man  is  born  unto 
trouble  as  the  sparks  fly  upward;"  and  each 
Christian  must  "  fill  up  that  which  is  behind 
of  the  afflictions  of  Christ."  (Col.  i.  24.)  The 
waters  of  sorrow  roll  as  well  through  the  rich 
man's  domain,  and  sometimes  with  as  much 
impetuosity,  as  by  the  poor  man's  door;  and 
you  are  to  be  chastened  of  the  Lord  now,  that 
you  may  not  be  condemned  with  the  world. 
The  songs  of  the  cheerful  are  often  suspended 
by  mournful  tidings;  sighs  will  heave  the 
breast  of  the  contented;  and,  sooner  or  later, 
the  ordinary  shocks  of  life  will  awaken  the 
sympathies,  if  not  the  fears,  of  the  heart  that 
never  felt  a  pang.  And  even  you,  though 
sheltered  in  the  Rock  of  Ages  from  the  storms 
of  Divine  vengeance,  must  expect  to  expe- 
rience changes  and  disappointments.  "  In 
the  world,  ye  shall  have  tribulation." 
(John  xvi.  33.)  That  very  state  of  being 
which  connects  you  with  glory  on  the  one 
hand,  subjects  you  to  the  privations  and  dis- 
tresses of  a  pilgrimage  on  the  other.  But  you 
mustneither  despise  the  chastening  of  the  Lord, 
nor  faint  when  you  are  rebuked  of  him;  either 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.       197 

of  these  states  of  mind  is  an  inconsistency  you 
must  pray  for  grace  to  avoid. 

To  be  consoled  by  Christ  in  seasons  of  sor- 
row, you  must  believe  his  word;  and  while 
you  seek  to  enjoy  his  presence,  you  must 
strive  to  do  his  will.  If  Christians  thought 
less  of  their  own  ease,  or  even  of  their  com- 
fort, and  more  of  the  Saviour's  glory;  and  if, 
instead  of  seeking  rest  without  any,  or  but 
little,  consideration  for  his  honour,  they  sought 
to  please  him  in  all  they  did  and  said,  and 
then  left  their  comfort  with  him,  believing 
that  he  will  be  mindful  of  his  covenant,  and 
of  the  people  for  whom  that  covenant  was 
made;  they  would,  in  all  probability,  enjoy 
more  of  the  divine  approbation.  You  must 
never  separate  the  interests  of  the  Father  from 
those  of  the  child.  His  will  is  your  salva- 
tion; and  if  you  would  receive  the  blessings 
of  that  salvation  in  their  fulness  and  variety, 
your  will  must  be  his  glory.  If  you  seek 
what  he  seeks,  you  will  enjoy  what  he  pro- 
mises; but  if  your  aim  in  desiring,  be  not  his 
in  giving,  you  will  turn  his  hand  from  you, 
and  place  yourselves  before  him,  not  in  a  reci- 
pient, but,  in  a  repulsive  position.     It  is  of 


198      INIDCATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

immense  importance  for  you  to  consider,  that 
one  of  the  main  causes  of  the  religious  ad- 
versity of  the  church  of  Christ,  is  her  want 
of  conformity  of  desire  and  design  to  the 
will  and  desig?i  of  God. 

"  Make  you  his  service  your  delight ; 
Your  wants  shall  be  his  care." 

You  have,  I  doubt  not,  already  found  that 
this  world  is  chequered  and  changeful;  that 
your  circumstances,  connexions,  feelings,  joys, 
and  hopes,  are  all  subject  to  painful  variations, 
and  of  this,  every  day's  experience  and  ob- 
servation will  more  fully  convince  you.  The 
sea  of  life  is  ever  moving,  and  the  shore  is 
always  strewed  with  wrecks.  How  inconsist- 
ent then  are  they  who  dream 

"Of  stable  pleasures  on  the  tossing-  wave!" 

The  gain  of  to-day,  may  be  the  loss  of  to-mor- 
row; and  those  very  occurrences  which  have 
yielded  delight  may,  by  the  very  hope  they 
have  awakened,  increase  the  distress  they  pro- 
mise to  diminish:  for  if  the  heart  be  enlarged 
or  relieved  by  supplies  which  it  has  no  power 
to  detain,  upon  their  departure,  the  vacuum 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.         199 

will  be  larger,  and  the  burthen  heavier,  than 
before;  and  thus,  the  elevations  of  life  render 
its  downfalls  more  terrific  and  affecting.  Look 
around  you,  and  even  beyond  the  narrow  cir- 
cle of  your  own  movements.  Are  not  thrones 
tottering?  Are  not  the  elevated  sinking?  Are 
not  the  falling  hurried  downward  in  their 
care-worn  course?  And  the  hand  that  has 
liberally  and  often  supplied  the  destitute,  is  it 
not  now  stretched  out  to  receive  the  offerings 
of  the  benevolent?  Guard,  then,  against  ex- 
pectations which  the  Bible  does  not  inspire, 
which  life  cannot  generally  realize;  and  thus 
preserve  consistency.  You  are  in  fellowship 
with  saints  and  angels;  and  if  you  commune 
with  that  God  whose  unchanging  love  is  the 
source  of  their  happiness,  and  depend  upon 
his  immutability,  you  may  become  like  the 
oak  of  the  forest  or  the  rock  of  the  ocean. 

Beware,  also,  of  a  discontented,  fretful,  pee- 
vish state  of  mind,  which  is  as  inconsistent 
with  your  professions,  as  it  is  injurious  to 
your  peace. 

"Here  perfect  bliss  can  ne'er  be  found;" 

and  those  very  mercies  which  a  kind  Provi- 
L9 


N 


DICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 


dence  designs  for  man's  comfort,  are,  by  the 
unbelief  of  the  heart,  converted  into  an  agency 
for  exciting  desires  which  neither  heaven  nor 
earth  can  satisfy.  The  lowly  desire  elevation, 
and  the  exalted  aspire  to  higher  standards  of 
dignity.  The  rich,  by  avariciousness,  destroy 
their  own  comfort;  and  the  miser,  denying 
himself  and  his  family  the  ordinary  blessings 
of  life,  is,  though  in  possession  of  "  more  than 
heart  could  wish,"  the  most  wretched  of  be- 
ings. If  circumstances  frown,  men  are  fre- 
quently miserable;  and  if  they  smile  they  are 
not  happy:  in  the  one  case,  they  want  what 
they  are  denied,  and  are  discontented;  and  in 
the  other,  fear  the  loss  of  what  they  have,  smd 
are  distrustful.  The  night  is  too  long  for 
some,  and  too  short  for  others.  The  sun 
shines  when  it  ought  not,  and  does  not  when 
it  ought.  The  weather  is  either  too  wet  or 
too  dry;  too  hot  or  too  cold.  Every  thing  is 
out  of  place,  and  nothing  is  in  character.  They 
are  dissatisfied  with  themselves,  with  every 
body,  and  with  almost  every  thing  about 
them.  Their  anxiety  ificreases  with  their 
mercies,  and  their  gratitude  decreases  with 
the  multiplication  of  their  obligations  to 
thankfulness.     At   home,   nothing    seems   to 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.        201 

please  them  better  than  an  opportunity  of 
displeasing  others;  and  abroad,  the  common 
incidents  of  life  either  create  their  disgust,  or 
render  them,  by  the  peevishness  and  fretful- 
ness  they  occasion,  disgustful  to  all  about 
them.  These  are  the  murmurers  and  com- 
plainers  which  have  ever  been,  and  ever  will 
be,  as  long  as  they  continue,  a  moral  pest  in 
our  social  system.  "  Finding  fault  with  every 
providential  dispensation,  they  are  persons 
whom  neither  God  nor  man  can  please." 
And  it  is  to  be  lamented  that  the  Christian  is 
frequently  discontented  with  the  allotments  of 
Divine  Providence,  and  far  from  being  satis- 
fied with  God's  will.  He  is  told  that  all 
things  work  together  for  his  good,  (Rom  viii. 
28,)  and  that  no  good  thing  will  the  Lord 
withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly;  (Ps. 
lxxxiv.  11;)  but  he  is  distrustful  and  unhappy. 
And,  indeed,  if  he  be  unbelieving,  he  must  be 
miserable;  for  promises  without  faith,  are,  to 
him,  words  without  meaning;  and,  if  rebel- 
lious, even  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises 
can  afford  him  no  joy.  To  be  really  happy, 
it  is  not  necessary  that  he  should  be  in  pros- 
perous circumstances  ;  but  it  is  absolutely  ne- 
cessarv  that  he  be  reconciled  to  the   Divine 


202     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

will.  "  Godliness  with  contentment  is  great 
gain/'  (1  Tim.  vi.  6.)  Therefore,  my  dear 
young  friends,  learn  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
Lord's  goodness,  and  thus  preserve  Christian 
consistency,  as  well  in  adversity  as  in  pros- 
perity. 

"  Simple,  teachable,  and  mild, 
Changed  into  a  little  child ; 
Pleased  with  all  the  Lord  provides, 
Weaned  from  all  the  world  besides." 

It  is  important  for  you,  again,  to  remember, 
that  the  path  of  life,  from  the  cradle  to  the 
tomb,  is  full  of  snares  ;  and  that  to  walk  safe- 
ly, you  must  walk  circumspectly.  You  ac- 
knowledge that  God  only  can  guide  and  up- 
hold you  ;  and  if  you  do  but  allow  your 
convictions  to  influence  your  procedure,  all 
will  be  well.  To  confess  your  liability  to  err 
and  to  fall,  and  yet  to  refuse  Divine  counsel 
and  the  support  of  the  Divine  arm,  is  palpable 
inconsistency.  There  are  snares  for  the  hand 
and  the  foot,  for  the  head  and  the  heart  ;  and 
we  are  sometimes  entangled  when  we  suspect 
no  danger.  With  property  and  poverty,  in 
health  and  in  sickness,  with  talent  and  learn- 
ing, in  friends  and  foes,  in  gifts  and  grace, 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.       203 

there  are  snares  against  which  you  must  pray 
and  guard  every  hour.  Satan  can  tempt  by 
external  circumstances,  or  without  them.  He 
can  employ  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  as  well  as 
the  pride  of  life.  He  can  induce  presumption, 
when  the  success,  whether  religious  or  com- 
mercial, by  which  it  is  sustained,  pleads  for 
humility  and  caution  ;  and  he  can  enthrone 
despair  upon  the  conscience,  when  the  promises 
warrant  the  liveliest  and  the  steadiest  hope 
in  God's  mercy.  In  the  absence  of  earthly 
good,  he  can  distress;  and  when  affluence  un- 
locks her  treasures  to  enrich,  he  can  endanger. 
In  want  he  will  tempt  us  to  forget  God,  who 
can  give;  and  in  plenty,  to  lose  sight  of  God, 
who  has  given:  so  that  frequently,  instead  of 
enjoying  God  in  all  things,  and  all  things  in 
God,  we  seek  gratification  separate  from  him, 
and  then  wonder  at  the  disappointment  and 
vexation  which  follow.  Now,  against  all 
these  infirmities,  and  others  which  might  be 
mentioned,  you  must  watch  and  pray,  in  or- 
der to  be  consistent  followers  of  the  Saviour; 
and  to  encourage  this  consistency,  let  me  re- 
mind you  of  one  or  two  facts,  calculated,  with 
the  Divine  blessing,  to  preserve  it. 
19* 


204     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

Providential  blessings  arc  sure  to  the  con- 
sistent Christian;  so  that  you  need  not  fear  or 
be  distrustful.  Your  heavenly  Father  know- 
eth  that  you  have  need  of  food  and  clothing; 
and  if  you  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
his  righteousness,  all  these  things  shall  be  add- 
ed unto  you.  (Matt.  vi.  33.)  To  extremities 
you  may  be  brought;  but  the  barrel  of  meal 
shall  not  waste,  nor  shall  the  cruse  of  oil  fail. 
Bread  shall  be  given,  and  water  shall  be  sure. 
(Is.  xxxiii.  16.)  All  hearts  are  in  his  hands, 
all  events  are  subject  to  his  control  and  are 
under  his  direction,  and  all  the  treasures  of  the 
earth  are  at  his  disposal.  He  can  do  what  he 
pleases,  and  he  will  do  what  is  right.  Your 
supplies  may  not  come  when,  or  whence,  you 
expect  them;  but  they  shall  come.  "  The 
young  lions  do  lack  and  suffer  hunger;  but 
they  that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want  any- 
good  thing."  (Ps.  xxxiv.  10.)  "The  lot  is 
cast  into  the  lap;  but  the  whole  disposing 
thereof  is  of  the  Lord."  (Pr.  xvi.  33.)  And 
your  lot,  be  it  what  it  may,  is  the  very  lot 
that  is  best  for  you.  Your  Father  keeps  the 
purse,  and  will  defray  all  the  expenses  of  your 
journey,  whether  long  or  short;  but  you  must 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.      205 

not  expect  that  he  will  allow  you  to  choose 
for  yourselves.  He  is  too  wise  and  too  kind, 
to  do  this.  He  will  provide  what  is  best  for 
you,  and  secure  your  communion  with  him- 
self, either  by  giving  or  by  withholding,  as  it 
may  please  him.  Your  blessings  are  safe  in 
his  hands;  and  if  he  should  feed  you  day  by 
day  with  the  poor  of  his  family,  be  assured  it 
is  that  every  day  your  wants  may  be  sup- 
plied. It  is  your  mercy,  and  it  ought  to  be 
your  happiness,  that  the  God  and  Father  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  with  you  in  all 
places;  and  it  will  be  but  an  act  of  Christian 
consistency  on  your  part  to  trust  him  at  all 
times,  without  even  a  murmuring  word  or  a 
rebellious  thought. 

Your  spiritual  mercies,  also,  are  both  sure 
and  abundant.  You  are  blessed  with  all  spiri- 
tual blessings  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Je- 
sus. (Eph.  i.  3.)  Oh,  how  extensive  is  the 
surface,  and  how  deep  the  bed  of  that  river 
whence  "  streams  of  mercy  never-ceasing  " 
flow!  Jesus  will  be  to  you  "  as  rivers  of  wa- 
ter in  a  dry  place."  (Is.  xxxii.  2.)  Mark 
this  well.  With  him  there  are  not  a  few  tri- 
butary streams,  sufficient  only  to  refresh  a  few 


206      INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

and  that  only  for  a  few  days;  but  rivers,  deep 
and  wide,  which  never  dry  up ;  and  which, 
like  the  rock  in  the  wilderness,  will  follow 
you  all  your  journey  through.  Alluding  to  a 
prosperous  state  of  the  church,  the  prophet 
Isaiah  predicted  that  Jehovah  would  open  ri- 
vers in  high  places,  and  fountains  in  the  midst 
of  the  valleys;  that  he  would  make  the  wil- 
derness a  pool  of  water,  and  the  dry  land 
springs  of  water,  for  his  people;  (Is.  xli.  18;) 
and  all  this,  and  more  than  this,  is  yours  in 
hope,  and  ought  to  be  yours  in  actual  enjoy- 
ment. "  Open  thy  mouth  wide,"  said  God, 
"  and  I  will  fill  it."  (Ps.  lxxxi.  10.)  "  Ask, 
and  ye  shall  receive;  that  your  joy  may  be 
full."     (John  xvi.  24.) 

Seeing,  then,  that  both  your  temporal  and 
spiritual  mercies  are  sure,  that  you  can  neither 
want  nor  desire  any  thing  that  is  for  your 
good,  that  God  has  not  promised;  and  that  you 
are  as  much  the  objects  of  his  gracious  care,  as 
if  you  were  the  only  creatures  that  occupied 
his  attention,  or  shared  his  love;  is  it  not  your 
privilege,  as  it  is  your  duty,  to  submit  to  his 
will,  to  do  his  pleasure,  and  to  go  on  your 
way   rejoicing  ?     All    this   you  must  admit; 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.       207 

but  you  tell  us  of  difficulties  which,  you 
think,  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  you  to  over- 
come. That  there  are  difficulties,  cannot  be 
denied,  but  you  must  not  be  discouraged  by 
them;  for  more  are  they  that  are  for  you,  than 
are  they  that  are  against  you.  May  I  request 
you  to  read  again  attentively,  the  5th  section, 
on  the  152d  page?  It  will,  I  think,  recall 
your  recollection  to  some  points  of  impor- 
tance; and  as  you  are  reading,  I  hope,  not  for 
amusement,  but  for  profit,  to  get  through  the 
book  will  not  be  so  much  your  object,  as,  by 
meditation  and  prayer,  to  understand  it. 

Then,  again,  to  be  consistent,  you  must  look 
to  Jesus  for  all  you  need  and  God  has  promis- 
ed. None  can  work  cheerfully,  or  run  safely, 
without  looking  to  Jesus.  It  is  not  enough 
for  you  to  say,  we  have  looked;  you  must 
continue  to  look.  When  tempted,  look  to 
him  for  succour;  when  afflicted,  for  consola- 
tion; when  perplexed,  for  direction;  and  when 
weak,  for  strength.  Some  are  lookingybr  the 
Saviour,  who  doubt  their  interest  in  his  love. 
Others  are  looking  to  him  with  an  appropria- 
ting faith  as  their  Saviour;  but  whether  your 
faith  be  weak  or  strong,  your  evidences  bright 


208     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

or  obscure,  you  must  look  to  Jesus.  There 
are  many  allurements  to  "the  sinner's  wan- 
dering eye;"  and  as  you  cannot  look  at  the 
eastern  and  western  horizon  at  the  same  in- 
stant of  time,  nor  examine  at  once  two  distinct 
and  separate  objects,  the  difficulty  of  looking 
only  to  Jesus  is  considerable.  Yet  one  rea- 
son why  Zion's  travellers  move  on  so  slowly 
and  so  heavily,  is,  they  do  not  look  exclusive- 
ly to  Jesus.  They  look  to  themselves,  and 
are  distressed;  and  within  for  that  which 
dwells  only  in  him,  and  they  are  disappoint- 
ed. For  a  man,  rapidly  sinking  under  disease, 
to  depend  upon  his  own  resources  for  its  ar- 
rest and  removal,  is  just  as  rational,  as  for  a 
sinner  to  expect  health  and  salvation  without 
looking  to  Jesus.  We  are  all  naturally  dispo- 
sed to  self-dependence;  and  instead  of  believ- 
ing in  Christ,  that  we  may  rise  above  circum- 
stances and  walk  by  faith  alone,  we  subject 
ourselves  to  their  control,  and  become  more 
the  creatures  of  sense,  than  the  children  of 
faith.  The  loser  regrets  his  loss,  and  some- 
times, with  rebellion  of  heart,  casts  a  lingering 
eye  after  the  sunshine  of  life,  when  adversity 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.         209 

has  obscured  its  glories.  The  gainer  looks  at 
his  gain  with  unmeasured  and  unwarrantable 
satisfaction,  and  forgets  the  Giver,  or  that  the 
tenure  by  which  he  holds  his  possessions  is 
very  feeble.  The  traveller  looks  at  the  ap- 
parent dangers  of  his  journey,  and  being  in- 
sensible of  his  Father's  care  and  protection,  he 
dishonours  his  name,  and  even  refuses  his 
counsel.  The  mariner  looks  at  the  storm,  and 
is  alarmed;  when  he  ought  to  rest  in  the  skill 
of  the  Pilot,  and  be  confident.  The  soldier 
looks  at  the  army  that  opposes  him;  the  cap- 
tive, at  his  chains;  the  tempted,  at  the  tempt- 
er; the  burdened,  at  his  load;  but  none  look 
to  Jesus  as  they  ought.  We  have  seen  the 
folly,  lamented  the  inconsistency,  confessed 
the  sin,  and  been  injured  by  the  consequences 
of  looking  so  much  to  circumstances;  but  no 
sooner  is  one  prop  removed  from  under  us, 
than  we  seek  and  lean  upon  another.  Cease 
from  man,  is  our  motto :  departure  from 
Christ,  is  our  practice.  We  mistake  the  step, 
for  the  throne  to  which  it  leads;  or  make  the 
lodge  on  the  road,  erected  merely  for  the  re- 
freshment of  travellers,  our  resting  place;  in- 
stead of  availing  ourselves,  for  a  moment  only, 


210     INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

of  its  provisions,  that  we  may,  with  firmer 
step  and  quicker  pace,  pursue  our  journey  to 
the  skies. 

Is  all  this  true?  then,  my  dear  readers,  let 
the  infirmities  of  those  who  have  preceded 
you  in  the  Divine  life,  he  considered  as  so  many 
powerful  arguments  for  Christian  consistency. 
If  you  have  less  experience  than  your  fathers 
in  the  faith,  you  may  profit  by  their  mistakes. 
The  battles  they  have  lost,  as  well  as  the  vic- 
tories they  have  won,  are  fruitful  sources  of 
instruction  to  those  who  are  putting  on  the 
armour,  or  just  entering  the  field;  and  by 
quietly  observing  their  aggressions  upon  the 
foe,  or  the  inroads  of  the  enemy,  you  may 
become  prepared  for  making  an  attack,  or  for 
resisting  one,  without  striking  a  blow  or  sus- 
taining an  injury.  It  is  a  point  of  wisdom, 
not  only  to  imitate  the  excellencies,  but,  to 
avoid  the  inconsistencies  of  those  who  through 
faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises.  Where 
they  have  failed,  let  it  be  your  prayerful  con- 
cern to  succeed.  But  attempt  nothing,  how- 
ever important  or  trifling,  without  looking 
unto  Jesus.  "  They  looked,"  it  is  said  in  the 
34th  Psalm,  "  and  were  lightened,  and  their 


EXHORTATIONS  TO  CONSISTENCY.      211 

faces  were  not  ashamed:"  and  if  you  look,  you 
will  be  enlightened  and  emboldened  too.  In 
his  light  a  thousand  encouragements  are  at  all 
times  visible;  and  though  you  may  be  sur- 
rounded by  the  wrecks  of  fortune  and  signs 
of  desolation;  yet,  serving  and  communing 
with  him,  evident  marks  of  the  Divine  wis- 
dom and  goodness  will  arrest  your  attention, 
and  enliven  your  hope.  "  When  my  father 
and  my  mother  forsake  me,  then  the  Lord 
will  take  me  up."  (Ps.  xxvii.  10.)  Look 
unto  Jesus,  then,  that  in  every  storm  you  may 
smile  at  the  thunders  around  you,  and  triumph 
in  the  grace  which  allays  the  fears  they 
awaken. 

Heaven  is  before  you;  and  all  is  consistency 
there.  Its  untiring  devotions,  its  ceaseless 
praises,  and  its  enraptured  delights,  are  all  in 
character  with  the  holiness,  the  happiness,  and 
the  union  of  the  glorified.  And  can  you  not, 
while  travelling  home  to  God,  emulate  their 
consistency?  Let  the  attempt  be  made,  and 
made  in  faith;  and  the  very  hope  of  heaven, 
with  which  such  an  effort  must  be  associated, 
will  shed  a  celestial  influence  upon  your  cha- 
racter, and  embalm  your  actions  with  odours 
20 


212      INDICATIONS  OF  CHARACTER,  AND 

from  the  Paradise  of  God.  To  heaven  you 
are  travelling,  for  its  rest  you  are  labouring, 
and  to  its  moral  dignities  you  ought  to  aspire. 
Already  have  its  elements  sanctified  your 
hearts,  and  its  glories  tinged  your  horizon. 
You  have  drunk  the  waters,  tasted  the  fruit, 
and  plucked  some  of  the  flowers  of  the  garden 
of  God.  By  faith  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  you 
have  already  entered  into  the  holiest  of  all; 
(Heb.  x.  19;)  and  from  what  you  have  seen, 
and  heard,  and  observed,  there,  you  must  have 
sympathized  with  its  inhabitants;  from  the 
sources  of  their  felicity  you  must  have  drawn 
consolations  for  your  journey;  and,  as  their 
inspirations  have  been  enkindled  in  your  bo- 
soms, is  it  too  much  to  expect  that  their  prin- 
ciples will  guide  your  course?  Jesus  is  their 
light,  and  their  glory;  and  he  is  your  rest  and 
salvation.  In  his  presence  they  live  and  tri- 
umph; and  by  his  grace  you  are  sustained  and 
encouraged.  A  knowledge  of  him,  will  iden- 
tify you  with  them;  and  a  contemplation  of 
their  bliss,  will  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  conform 
you  to  his  image.  The  church  of  God  is  one; 
and  whatever  may  be  the  comparative  supe- 
riority of  the  redeemed  in  heaven  to  the  re- 


EXHORTATIONS    TO    CONSISTENCY.      213 

deemed  on  earth,  the  approximation  of  the 
latter  to  the  former,  in  spirit  and  design, 
ought  to  be  as  apparent,  as  the  union  of  both 
to  the  Saviour  is  evident.  One  in  Christ, 
they  are  one  in  feeling,  purpose,  and  pursuit; 
and  from  this  identity,  felt  and  acknowledged, 
results  an  influence  to  sustain  the  triumphs  of 
the  child  above,  and  a  power  to  regulate  the 
temper  and  the  conduct  of  the  child  below. 

Wherefore  unite  with  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect,  in  their  grateful  and  adoring 
celebrations,  and  come  to  Jesus,  whose  love 
they  sing;  that  heaven's  purity  and  bliss  may 
consecrate  earth,  and  earth  be  a  consecrated 
path-way  to  heaven.  Then  will  that  consist- 
ency be  preserved  which  is  the  safeguard  of 
your  interests,  the  test  of  your  sincerity,  and 
the  best  possible  evidence  that  can  be  given  of 
your  conversion  to  God — of  your  love  to  the 
Saviour — and  of  your  being  prepared,  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  for  the  occupations  and  delights 
of  a  blessed  immortality. 

"And  now,  little  children,  abide  in  him; 
that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  may  have  con- 
fidence, and  not  be  ashamed  before  him  at  his 
coming."   (I  John  ii.  28.) 


214  APPEALS    AND    INVITATIONS 


CHAPTER  XII. 

APPEALS    AND    INVITATIONS    TO    DOUBTING    AND    TIMID 
CHRISTIANS. 

As  some  persons  may  read  the  preceding 
pages,  who  are  far  from  being  assured  of  their 
acceptance  with  God,  and  who,  in  conse- 
quence, are  neither  happy  nor  decided  in  their 
profession  of  the  Gospel;  it  appears  desirable 
to  close  these  remarks  with  an  address  to 
doubting  and  timid  Christians;  especially  as 
some  for  whom  this  little  volume  is  designed, 
not  having  publicly  avowed  their  attachment 
to  the  Saviour,  may,  on  this  very  ground,  be 
tempted  to  conclude  they  are  not  entitled  to 
Christian  privileges,  nor  bound  to  the  obser- 
vance of  Christian  consistency. 

Among  persons  of  this  description  are  to 
be  found  some  of  the  most  amiable  and  serious 
disciples  of  the  Lord;  and  who,  notwithstand- 
ing their  darkness  and  distress,  are  evidently 
taught  of  God.  They  are  a  most  interesting 
class  of  individuals,  both  in  their  relations  to 
time  and  eternity.     Their  convictions  and  im- 


TO    DOUBTING    CHRISTIANS.  215 

pressions  on  the  one  hand,  their  doubts  and 
indecision  on  the  other,  and  the  manifest  in- 
fluence of  both  upon  their  character,  must 
awaken  the  sympathies  and  secure  the  pray- 
erful solicitude  of  all  who  have  tasted  that  the 
Lord  is  gracious.  "  Strengthen  ye  the  weak 
hands,  and  confirm  the  feeble  knees.  Say  to 
them  that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  Be  strong, 
fear  not;  behold,  your  God  will  come  with 
vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recompense;  he 
will  come  and  save  you."   (Is.  xxxv.  3,  4.) 

Yes,  my  dear  friends,  "  he  will  come  and 
save  you."  From  the  holy  Scriptures,  with- 
out any  reference  to  your  convictions,  you 
may  learn  the  gracious  character  of  the  Divine 
will,  and  the  sufficiency  of  the  atonement, 
first,  to  answer  all  the  ends  of  moral  adminis- 
tration; and,  then,  to  secure  the  justification 
and  holiness  of  the  guilty  and  unclean;  but  to 
arrive  at  just  conclusions  concerning  your 
state  before  God,  you  must  argue  as  well 
from  the  work  of  ihe  Holy  Spirit  as  from  the 
positive  statements  of  the  Bible.  And  as 
your  object  is  not  so  much  to  ascertain  how  a 
sinner  can  be  just  with  God,  (for  on  this 
point  it  is  supposed  your  judgment  is  scrip- 
20* 


216  APPEALS    AND    INVITATIONS 

turally  informed,)  as  whether  you  are  person- 
ally accepted  in  the  Beloved,  the  question  to 
be  decided,  is,  Has  God  begun  his  good  work 
of  grace  in  your  hearts?  At  present  you 
doubt  this,  and,  therefore,  go  mourning  all 
the  day. 

Now,  to  assist  you  in  determining  this  ques- 
tion, we  must  first  inquire  into  those  discover- 
ies which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  made  to  your 
understandings,  and  which  have  affected  your 
hearts.  Has  he  not,  then,  so  deeply  convinc- 
ed you  of  your  depravity,  of  your  need  of 
pardon,  of  the  vanity  of  the  world,  of  the 
glory  of  the  Gospel,  and  of  the  certainty  of 
your  perishing  for  ever  without  Christ,  that 
you  have  felt,  and  are  feeling,  the  burthen  of 
sin,  and  are  seeking  mercy  through  the  blood 
of  the  cross?  So  important,  in  your  judg- 
ment, is  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
you  are  the  children  of  God,  that  you  are  in 
possession  of  no  earthly  treasure  with  which 
you  would  not  freely  part  to  receive  it.  You 
may  not  have  felt  so  deeply,  nor  have  mourn- 
ed so  bitterly,  as  others  with  whom  you  have 
conversed,  and  with  whom  you  sometimes 
compare  yourselves,  for  the  purpose  of  ascer- 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  217 

taining,  if  possible,  whether  your  exercises 
are  any  thing  like  theirs;  but  your  impres- 
sions have  been  sufficiently  powerful  to  cause 
you  to  cry,  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved? 
and  your  discoveries  of  the  Saviour's  glory 
and  compassion  are  sufficiently  clear  and  com- 
manding to  constrain  you  to  desire  the  mani- 
festations of  his  presence,  and  the  purifying 
influence  of  his  precious  blood.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  you  think  you  have  not  been  sufficient- 
ly convinced  of  sin;  and  at  other  times  you 
conceive  that  the  number  of  your  transgres- 
sions is  a  barrier  to  your  acceptance  with  God. 
One  day  you  are  cheered  by  hope;  on  ano- 
ther, distressed  by  fear;  but  of  one  thing  you 
are  sure — that  whereas  you  were  blind,  now 
you  see;  and  that  although  you  once  neglect- 
ed God's  salvation,  an  interest  in  its  blessings 
now  occupies  not  only  your  thoughts,  but 
your  ardent  and  persevering  supplications. 

"  Mercy,  good  Lord  !  mercy  I  ask, 
This  is  the  total  sum  ; 
Mercy,  through  Christ,  is  all  my  suit ; 
Lord  !  let  thy  mercy  come." 

All  this  you  feel  and  acknowledge.     Well, 


218  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

let  me  now  call  your  attention  to  some  of 
those  gracious  declarations  in  which  you  are 
interested  ;  for  if  God  has  made  special  com- 
munications to  a  certain  description  of  persons, 
and  you  are  among  them,  in  making  them  he 
designed  your  instruction  and  comfort.  He 
has  said  to  those  who  come  to  him,  that  they 
shall  in  no  wise  be  cast  out;1  that  those  who 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  are  al- 
ready blessed,  and  shall  be  filled,2  that  those 
who  mourn,  shall  be  comforted;3  that  those 
who  seek,  shall  find;4  that  the  wounded  shall 
be  healed;5  that  the  drawings  of  the  Spirit  re- 
sult from  God's  everlasting  love;6  and  that  all 
spiritual  exercises  are  the  effects  of  Divine  in- 
fluence.7 

But  are  we,  you  ask,  interested  in  these 
gracious  promises?  Why,  if  you  are  sincere 
and  honest  in  your  researches,  you  must  know 
whether  sin  be  a  burthen  or  not,  whether  you 
are  seeking  God,  and  whether  you  are  thirst- 
ing for  the  waters  of  life.  You  may  doubt 
your  safety  ;  but  objects  of  sense  are  not  more 

'  John  vi.  37.  2  Matt.  v.  6.  3  Matt.  v.  4. 

4  Matt.  vii.  7.  5  Ps.  cxlvii.  3.  «  Jer  xxxi.  3. 

v  Phil.  ii.  12,  13. 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  219 

visible  to  the  eye  of  the  body,  than  is  your 
guilt  and  the  Saviour's  glory  to  the  eye  of 
your  mind.  You  are  conscious  that  a  change 
has  taken  place  in  your  views  and  feelings; 
and  although  you  may  be  tempted  to  overlook 
this  fact,  yet,  in  your  thoughtful  moments,  you 
can  no  more  doubt  it  than  you  can  question 
your  existence.  There  may  be  a  fear  that 
God  is  not  the  author  of  this  change;  that  it 
is  the  result,  not  of  his  Spirit's  operations, 
but  of  education,  of  religious  excitement,  or 
of  a  naturally-alarmed  conscience.  You  may 
not,  at  present,  know  that  what  you  have  seen 
and  felt  is  just  what  all  who  are  taught  of  God 
see  and  feel;  you  may  not  be  able  either  to  ac- 
count for  your  impressions,  or  to  describe  the 
process  by  which  they  have  been  so  sensibly 
deepened,  that  they  have  become  essential 
parts  of  your  moral  being;  but  if  any  one 
were  to  attempt  to  persuade  you  that  your 
convictions,  desires,  and  pursuits,  are  precise- 
ly what  they  always  have  been,  would  you 
not  regard  him  as  one  that  had  assailed  your 
principles?  At  one  time  you  could  live  with- 
out prayer,  without  reading  the  Scriptures, 
without  any  concern  for  the  salvation  of  your 


220  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

souls;  but  can  you  do  this  now?  Or  if,  how- 
ever, you  did  not  entirely  neglect  religious 
exercises,  they  have  assumed  so  commanding 
an  influence  over  your  character,  that,  although 
your  external  habits  may  be  the  same,  or  near- 
ly so,  that  they  generally  have  been,  the  prin- 
ciples by  which  you  are  now  governed  have 
invested  the  whole  range  of  religious  pursuit 
with  an  importance  which  till  recently,  you 
never  felt  or  acknowledged.  Is  not  the  care 
of  the  soul  the  one  thing  needful?  and  your 
cry, 

"  A  Saviour,  or  I  die ! 
A  Redeemer,  or  I  perish  !" 

Compared  with  some  Christians,  indeed, 
your  light  may  appear  darkness,  and  your 
conviction  insensibility.  God  has  dealt  so 
bountifully  with  them,  that  it  may  seem  as  if 
he  had  not  dealt  graciously  with  you.  They 
are  so  far  before  you  in  the  path  of  life,  and 
they  feel  and  enjoy  so  much  of  the  Gospel, 
that  you  are  tempted  to  think  you  have  seen 
and  felt  nothing,  and  that  you  have  not  yet  ta- 
ken one  step  towards  heaven.  Yet  it  is  sin- 
gular, that  though  you  have  not  their  expe- 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  221 

rience,  they  either  have,  or  they  have  had, 
yours.  You  cannot  sympathize  with  them  in 
all  their  exercises ;  but  they  can  with  you  in 
all  yours.  You  may  not  possess  their  evi- 
dences; but  of  this  be  assured,  they  have  nei- 
ther hope  nor  joy  apart  from  yours.  The 
very  feelings  and  lamentations  which  give  to 
your  religious  professions  all  their  peculiari- 
ties, painful  as  they  may  be,  were  those  which 
have  given  to  their  possessions  all  their  glory 
and  felicity.  They  wept  as  you  weep;  they 
doubted  as  you  doubt;  they  were  tempted  as 
you  are  tempted;  they  sought  and  found  what 
you  are  seeking,  and  what  you  shall  find  too. 
If  some  beatified  spirits  could  descend  from 
their  abodes  of  bliss,  to  throw  light  around 
your  path,  even  they  would  tell  you  that  the 
religion  which  had  glory  for  its  end,  had  sor- 
row for  sin,  desires  for  pardon,  and  prayer  for 
holiness  for  its  beginning;  and  as  you  are  run- 
ning their  race,  and  fighting  their  battles,  you 
shall  reach  their  goal,  and  share  their  enjoy- 
ments. But  you  cannot  yet  see  this,  nor  re- 
cognise your  identity  with  the  people  of  God; 
so  that,  by  comparing  yourselves  with  them, 


222  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

instead  of  being  relieved,  you   may  be  per- 
plexed. 

Let  me  then  ask,  whether,  as  you  cannot 
identify  yourselves  with  the  church  of  God, 
you  are  in  union  with  the  world?  No  man 
can  serve  two  masters;  and  they  that  are  not 
with  Christ,  are  against  him.  Now,  to  what- 
ever class  of  worldly  men  you  may  direct 
your  attention,  whether  to  the  infidel,  to  the 
licentious,  or  to  the  gay — can  )rou  sympathize 
with  any  of  them?  Do  you  feel  that,  with 
your  present  convictions,  it  would  be  possible 
for  you  to  cast  off  the  restraints  which  Divine 
grace  has  imposed,  and  to  become  one  with 
those  who  have  no  religion  at  all,  or  who  have 
only  the  form  without  the  power  of  true  reli- 
gion? What  communion  hath  light  with  dark- 
ness? You  occupy  a  position  between  the  man 
of  the  world,  who  cares  not  for  Divine  things, 
and  the  Christian,  who  embracing  them,  is  as- 
sured of  his  interest  in  them.  Now,  the  al- 
ternative is  this:  either  you  are  one  with  the 
wicked,  or  one  with  the  righteous;  you  are 
alive  to  God  by  the  renewings  of  his  Spirit,  or 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  Neutrality,  as  a 
state  of  moral  being,  is   as  impossible  to  the 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  223 

inhabitants  of  this  world  as  it  is  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  another.  But  you  know  that  you  have 
said,  and  are  saying  to  the  wicked,  "  Depart 
from  me,  ye  evil-doers;  for  I  will  keep  the 
commandments  of  my  God;"  (Ps.  cxix.  115;) 
and  to  the  Christian,  "  Thy  people  shall  be 
my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God."  (Ruth  i. 
16.) 

Surely,  then,  my  dear  friends,  the  Lord  has 
done  great  things  for  you;  and  your  conscious- 
ness of  his  goodness  places  you  under  solemn 
obligations  to  avow  yourselves  on  his  side. 
His  work  in  the  hearts  of  those  now  in  heaven 
issued  in  those  desires  and  prayers,  in  that 
faith  and  repentance,  which  are  your  distin- 
guishing characteristics;  and  as  none  perish 
who  are  meetened  for  glory,  your  evidences 
of  being  born  from  above,  though  not  bright, 
are  of  a  satisfactory  order.  Because  you  have 
not  the  full  assurance  of  faith,  you  must  not, 
on  this  account,  refuse  the  consolation  to  which 
the  weak  in  faith  are  entitled.  If  you  had 
what  others  in  the  church  of  God  have,  then 
you  think  you  might  be  confident;  but  at  pre- 
sent you  suppose  it  is  not  right  for  you  to 
cherish  even  a  hope  of  glory.  That  there  can 
21 


224  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

be  no  scriptural  assurance  of  safety  without  the 
witness  and  the  seal  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we 
allow;  but  that  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  is  ever 
enjoj^ed  by  those  who  are  entire  strangers  to 
his  holy  influence,  we  deny.  You  must  argue 
from  his  work  to  his  love,  and  not  from  his 
love  to  his  work.  For,  to  treat  with  God's 
purpose  concerning  you,  or  with  your  interest 
in  his  promises,  as  abstract  questions,  uncon- 
nected either  with  his  operations  or  your  exer- 
cises, would  be  as  absurd  as  the  attempt  to 
reason  upon  the  nature  of  light  or  air,  without 
the  most  distant  allusion  to  their  properties  or 
their  effects.  If  God  has  taught  you  your 
need  of  mercy,  and  enabled  you  to  seek  it  in 
the  way  in  which  he  assures  you  it  may,  and, 
indeed,  must  be  found,  his  thoughts  towards 
you  are  thoughts  of  peace,  and  not  of  evil,  and 
his  determination  is  to  bless  you.  He  has  ne- 
ver said  to  the  praying  seed  of  Jacob,  "  Seek 
ye  my  face  in  vain." 

Do  not,  then,  despise  the.  day  of  small 
things;  or  be  unthankful  for  the  evidences 
God  has  given  you,  because  they  are  neither 
so  bright  nor  so  numerous  as  you  may  desire. 
It  becomes  you  to  accept  with  gratitude  the 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  225 

tokens  of  his  favour  whenever  they  are  given; 
and  to  use  them  for  the  purposes  to  which  he 
intends  they  should  be  applied.  If  he  thought 
of  the  change,  which  you  are  conscious  has 
taken  place  within  you,  as  you  think  of  it;  or 
if  he  rejected  those  confessions  and  prayers, 
which  are  indications  of  your  character,  as 
you  reject  his  instructions  and  consolations, 
which  are  expressions  of  his  love,  how  alarm- 
ing would  be  your  condition,  and  how  gloomy 
your  prospects!  But  this  he  does  not.  He 
can  clearly  discern  that  which  is  spiritual, 
from  that  which  is  natural;  for  he  knoweth 
the  mind  of  his  own  Spirit  in  your  groanings 
and  intercessions;  and  a  broken  and  a  contrite 
heart  he  will  not  despise.  "  Like  as  a  father 
pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them 
that  fear  him.  For  he  knoweth  our  frame  ; 
he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust."  (Ps.  ciii. 
13,  14.)  How  encouraging  must  this  be  to 
your  hope  in  seasons  of  despondency!  and 
what  a  powerful  incentive  is  it  to  gratitude 
for  blessings  received,  when  tempted  to  over- 
look them  because  they  are  few,  or  because 
they  may  not  have  come  to  you  precisely  in 
the  same  way  in  which  they  have  to  others. 


226  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

If  you  have  not  enjoyed  the  sealings  of  the 
Spirit,  you  have  felt  the  drawings  of  the 
Spirit ;  and  as  the  first-fruits  of  grace  are 
related  to  the  harvest  of  glory,  "  He  that 
goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious 
seed,  shall,  doubtless,  come  again  with  rejoic- 
ing, bringing  his  sheaves  with  him."  (Ps. 
cxxvi.  6.) 

But  you  seem  to  forget  that  all  the  Holy 
Spirit's  saving  operations  are  alike  indispen- 
sable, and  gracious;  hence  the  high  estimate 
you  form  of  liberty  and  rest,  and  the  low  esti- 
mate of  that  anxiety  and  labour  which  are 
their  necessary  antecedents.  The  desire  for 
grace,  is  as  much  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  as 
the  grace  desired,  is  the  gift  of  the  Spirit. 
The  appetite  and  the  food  are  alike  of  God, 
and  alike  expressive  of  his  purpose.  Why 
then  be  unmindful  of  the  former,  in  your  anx- 
iety to  possess  the  latter?  Has  it  never  struck 
you,  that  ingratitude  for  one  blessing  may  be 
the  cause  why  God  withholds  another?  If 
you  are  unthankful  for  those  impressions  of 
your  guilt,  and  for  those  convictions  of  your 
need  of  mercy,  which  must  precede  a  know- 
ledge of  pardon,  and  the  reception  of  mercy; — 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  227 

God  may,  for  this  very  reason,  suspend,  for  a 
time,  the  influence  by  which  alone  distress 
can  be  removed,  and  joy  awakened.  He  will 
be  praised  for  preparing  you  for  the  reception 
of  his  love,  as  well  as  for  its  actual  and  refresh- 
ing manifestations.  You  can  no  more  be  heal- 
ed without  being  wounded,  or  raised  to  a  live- 
ly hope  of  interest  in  the  Redeemer  before 
you  have  despaired  of  all  hope  in  yourselves, 
than  you  can  be  wounded,  without  being  heal- 
ed, or  seek  mercy,  without  finding  it.  Glory 
is  not  more  connected  with  grace,  than  grace 
is  with  glory.  The  one,  is  the  end  of  a  be- 
ginning; the  other,  the  beginning  of  an  end;  and 
whether  you  have  been  drawn  to  the  cross  by 
love,  or  driven  by  terror,  in  either  case,  you 
have  great  cause  for  thankfulness.  You  can- 
not be  glorified  without  being  justified  and 
sanctified;  and  if  you  are  justified  and  sancti- 
fied, you  must  be  glorified. 

But  here  lies  your  difficulty.  Have  we 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  and  are  ive 
exempt  from  all  danger  of  perishing  for 
ever?  You  are  told  by  St.  Paul,  that  all  that 
believe  are  justified  from  all  things,  from 
which  they  could  not  be  by  the  law  of  Moses; 
21* 


228  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

(Acts  xiii.   39;)  and,  that  as  many  as  are  led 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of 
God.     (Rom.  viii.    14.)     Are  you,  then,  be- 
lievers in  Christ?     If  you  are,  the  privileges 
of  believers  are  all  yours.     You  may  doubt 
the   existence   of  that  faith  in  your   hearts, 
which  is  of  the  operation  of  God,  but  if  you 
have  fled  to  the  Saviour  for  refuge;  if  you  are 
coming   to    God   through    him   for   holiness, 
peace,  and  pardon;  and  if  you  are  reposing 
upon  his  sacrifice  as  the  only  ground  of  your 
acceptance  in  the  Divine  sight,  you  have  cer- 
tainly  performed   an   act  of  faith,   and   must 
therefore   be  in   possession   of  the   grace   of 
faith.     "With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  confession 
is  made  unto  salvation."  (Rom.  x.  10.)  "Sav- 
ing faith,"  said  Robert  Hall,  "  consists  in  such 
a  persuasion  of  our  condition  as  sinners,  as  in- 
duces us  to  relinquish  all  other  hope,  and  to 
place  our  dependence  alone  on  Jesus  Christ 
for  salvation;  acknowledging  him  to  be  our 
Lord;"  and  as  you  have  felt  and  done  this, 
God  will  honour  his  work  within  you  by  af- 
fixing his  seal  of  approbation  to  those  exercises 
which  are  the  effects  of  it.   "  This  is  the  work 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  229 

of  God,  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom  he  hath 
sent;"  (John  vi.  29;)  and  "the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom."  (Ps.  cxi. 
10.) 

It  is,  further,  of  importance  you  should  re- 
member, that  the  Lord's  conduct  towards  you, 
is  an  expression  of  his  good  pleasure  concern- 
ing you.  "If  the  Lord  were  pleased  to  kill 
us,"  said  Manoah's  wife,  "  he  would  not  have 
shown  us  these  things;"  and  as  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  made  saving  and  influential  disco- 
veries of  the  truth  to  you,  it  is  the  will  of 
God  that  you  should  live,  and  not  die.  Your 
anxiety  to  know  how  you  stand  with  God, 
and  your  dread  of  deception,  is  perfectly  con- 
sistent with  your  convictions  of  his  purity  and 
power,  and  of  your  guilt  and  misery;  but  you 
have  not,  you  tell  us,  access  to  God's  decrees, 
and  do  not  therefore  know  whether  your 
names  are  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life.  That 
you  have  not  looked  into  that  volume  which 
the  eye  of  Omniscience  alone  can  scan,  is  true; 
nor  is  it  necessary  either  for  your  hope  or  your 
confidence,  that  you  should  do  so.  "  The  se- 
cret things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God; 
but  those  things  which  are  revealed  belong 


230  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

unto  us,  and  to  our  children  for  ever."  In 
the  first  place,  you  have  the  Bible,  which  is, 
partly,  a  transcript  of  the  mysterious  roll  of 
the  Divine  purposes,  sufficiently  perspicuous 
to  relieve  all  your  difficulties,  and  to  satisfy  all 
lawful  inquiries;  and,  in  the  next  place,  you 
have  the  testimony  of  an  enlightened  con- 
science, which,  when  studied  in  the  light  of 
the  Divine  word,  by  the  teaching  of  the  Di- 
vine Spirit,  will  present  the  hand-writing  of 
the  Great  Invisible  in  characters,  not  of  wrath, 
but  of  mercy;  not  of  anger,  but  of  love.  "I 
will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind,  and  write 
them  in  their  hearts;  and  I  will  be  to  them  a 
God,  and  they  shall  be  to  me  a  people:  for  I 
will  be  merciful  to  their  unrighteousness,  and 
their  sins  and  their  iniquities  will  I  remember 
no  more."  (Heb.  viii.  10,  12.)  And  is  not 
this  promise  yours,  with  all  its  consequent 
blessings  and  encouragements?  Most  cer- 
tainly, if  you  are  new  creatures  in  Christ 
Jesus;  for  if  it  had  been  God's  pleasure  to 
destroy  you,  he  would  not  have  quickened 
you  by  his  Spirit,  nor  have  turned  your  feet 
into  the  narrow  path.  And  why  did  he  not 
leave  you  to  perish  in  your  sins !     He  was 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  231 

under  no  obligation  to  change  your  hearts,  or 
to  bring  you  to  repentance;  and  as  the  work 
of  grace  is  the  execution  of  his  gracious  pur- 
pose, his  motive  was  love,  and  the  end  he 
contemplated  was  your  salvation.  Make  your 
calling  sure,  and  you  will  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  your  election.  As  the  gift  of  his  Son 
was  a  costly  proof  of  his  good  will  to  men, 
the  gift  of  his  Spirit  is  a  certain  evidence  of 
your  interest  in  his  salvation;  and  having  re- 
deemed you  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  and 
called  you  by  his  Gospel,  he  will  not  disap- 
point the  hope  to  which  he  has  begotten  you, 
nor  suffer  you  to  sink  under  the  curse  of  the 
law  you  have  broken.  "  God  commendeth 
his  love  towards  us,  in  that,  while  we  were 
yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.  Much  more 
then,  being  now  justified  by  his  blood,  we 
shall  be  saved  from  wrath  through  him.  For 
if,  when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled 
to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son;  much  more, 
being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by  his 
life."  (Rom.  v.  S— 10.) 

But  to  avail  yourselves  of  the  full  benefit  of 
St.  Paul's  argumentation,  you  must  neither 
overlook  the  Lord's  work,  nor  forget  his  pro- 


232  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

mises.  The  apostle  reasons  from  the  past  to 
the  future;  and  so  must  you,  or  you  are  likely 
to  remain  in  that  darkness  from  which  it  is 
your  desire  to  be  delivered.  It  is  not  only 
wrong  to  disregard  the  first  impressions  and 
convictions  of  the  Spirit; — it  is  ingratitude, 
yea,  it  is  sin  to  do  so.  Either  the  first  pulsa- 
tions of  spiritual  life  are  of  God,  or  they  are 
not;  but  as  they  are  of  God,  they  ought  to  be 
considered  as  striking  and  infallible  indications 
of  returning  moral  health,  and  of  his  access  to 
the  heart  for  the  purpose  of  enthroning  him- 
self upon  its  affections.  The  first  prayer  the 
penitent  offers,  and  the  first  tear  he  sheds,  call 
as  loudly  for  his  gratitude  to  the  Almighty,  as 
the  hope  of  the  joyful,  or  the  song  of  the 
triumphant.  u  That  is  not  a  true  sense  of 
our  unworthiness,"  says  the  great  Charnock, 
"  which  keeps  us  from  Christ;"  neither  is  that 
unfeigned  humility  which  casts  a  veil  over  the 
first  sketchings  of  the  Spirit  on  the  heart,  and 
which  refuses  the  consolation  afforded  by  one 
evidence,  because  of  the  absence  of  another. 
It  must  be  a  great  point  of  consideration  with 
you  to  preserve,  by  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
a  grateful  recollection  of  what  he  has  done  for 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  233 

you.  You  are  not  to  be  argued  out  of  your 
convictions;  nor  must  you  yield  the  victories 
you  have  gained  over  the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
the  devil,  to  any  of  your  adversaries.  It  is  as 
necessary  for  you  to  acknowledge  what  grace 
has  done,  as  it  is  that  you  should  conscien- 
tiously avoid,  both  in  prayer  and  conversa- 
tion, the  phraseology  to  which  you  attach  no 
definite  meaning;  or  which,  in  reference  to 
yourselves,  would  imply  impressions  you  have 
never  received,  or  convictions  you  have  never 
felt.  You  may  go  too  far;  and  you  may  not 
go  far  enough.  "  As  man  can  receive  no- 
thing, except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven," 
he  ought  not  to  attribute  a  natural  effect  to  a 
spiritual  cause,  nor  a  spiritual  effect  to  a  natu- 
ral one;  and  unless  you  maintain  the  position 
in  which  God  has  placed  you,  and  avow  the 
attachments  he  has  enabled  you  to  form,  the 
inconsistency  you  allow  will  prove  a,  hinder- 
ance  to  the  progress  you  are  anxious  to  make. 
It  was  the  declaration  of  David,  and  let  it  be 
yours  also,  "Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear 
God,  and  I  will  declare  what  he  hath  done  for 
my  soul."  (Ps.  lxvi.  16.) 

Come,  then,  and  at  once  declare  yourselves 


234  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

on  the  Lord's  side.  "  How  long  halt  ye  be- 
tween two  opinions?"  Why  should  you  not 
identify  yourselves  with  the  people  you  love, 
and  enjoy  with  them  the  privileges  of  the 
sanctuary?  From  what  you  have  seen  and 
felt,  you  are  placed  under  solemn  obligations 
to  confess  the  Saviour;  and  if  you  cannot  do 
this  as  saints,  happy  in  God's  salvation,  you 
must  neither  be  ashamed  nor  afraid  to  do  it  as 
sinners,  seeking  the  blessings  of  that  salvation. 
There  are  babes,  as  well  as  young  men  and  fa- 
thers, in  the  church;  and  though  you  have 
not  entered  by  faith  into  spiritual  rest,  yet,  as 
you  are  labouring  to  enter,  you  are  encouraged 
by  the  promises  and  counselled  by  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  Gospel.  If  the  Lord's  people 
were  classified  according  to  their  age  and  ex- 
perience, you  might  not  be  able  to  place  your- 
selves with  the  peaceful  and  happy;  but  you 
would  with  the  sorrowful  and  distressed;  and 
this  you  should  do.  You  ought  to  come  forth 
with  your  convictions,  whether  few  or  many; 
and  with  your  impressions,  whether  feeble  or 
powerful.  The  world  ought  to  know,  by  your 
obedience  to  the  Lord's  precepts,  that  you  are 
not  of  the  world.     Of  all  persons,  you  ought 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  235 

to  be  decided !  It  is  not  one  bold  effort,  or 
one  decisive  step  that  will  meet  the  pressing 
necessities  of  a  case  like  yours.  There  must 
be  a  succession  of  efforts,  bold  and  consistent; 
and  decision  of  character,  entire  and  uniform. 
The  principles  which  have  preserved  you  in  the 
world,  must  settle  down  into  religious  habits 
in  the  church.  When  tempted  to  evil,  you 
have  said,  This  I  cannot  do,  because  of  the 
fear  of  the  Lord;  and  when  tempted  to  neg- 
lect either  Christian  privilege  or  duty,  you 
must  say,  This  I  dare  not  do,  because  of  the 
love  of  God.  If  the  invitations  of  the  Gospel 
were  addressed  only  to  the  assured  and  the 
confident,  then  might  you,  tc  tarry  till  you're 
better;"  but  as  God  has  very  particularly  in- 
vited and  encouraged  the  doubting  and  timid, 
to  be  consistent  with  yourselves,  you  must  be 
decided  for  him.  You  feel  that  you  are  lost 
sinners,  and  desire  salvation,  not  only  from 
the  consequences  of  sin,  but  from  its  being; 
and  still  you  hesitate  and  linger,  when  you 
ought  to  determine,  and,  in  God's  strength, 
advance.  The  remedy  for  all  your  ills  and 
for  all  your  complaints  is  with  Jesus;  and  that 
remedy  is  likely  to  be  efficacious,  when  the 
22 


236  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS 

directions  of  the  Great  Physician  are  strictly- 
regarded. 

Man  never  goes  to  Christ  till  his  case  be- 
comes hopeless  without  Christ;  and  if  you 
come  at  all,  you  must  come  as  you  are,  and 
for  what  you  need.  "The  Spirit  and  the 
bride,  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth, 
say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst,  come; 
and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of 
life  freely."  (Rev.  xxii.  17.)  The  church  is 
saying,  "  Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  you 
good:"  let  your  reply  be,  and  that  promptly, 
"  We  will  go  with  you,  for  we  have  heard 
that  God  is  with  you."  Christian  intercourse 
is  favourable  to  the  progress  of  the  heart  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  love  of  God;  and  by  availing 
yourselves  of  the  sympathies  and  prayers  of 
established  Christians,  you  will  be  enriched 
by  their  experience,  and  instructed  by  their 
example.  Are  you  fearful?  Come  with  your 
fears.  Are* you  discouraged?  Come  with  your 
difficulties.  There  is  a  place  at  the  Saviour's 
feet,  a  seat  at  his  table,  and  room  in  his  house 
for  you.  And  will  you  not  come?  "  All 
things  are  ready,  come  to  the  marriage;" 
and  come  without  delay.  Jesus  bids  you 
welcome — the  Spirit  invites  you  home — the 


TO  DOUBTING  CHRISTIANS.  237 

Father  hails  your  return — "  and  there  is  joy- 
in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth."  The  church  has  her 
mantle  of  charity  to  cast  around  you;  and  she 
waits,  with  anxious  solicitude,  to  conduct  you 
to  the  pasture  where  she  has  fed  upon  the  pro- 
visions, reposed  in  the  sunshine,  and  hymned 
the  praises  of  redeeming  love. 

"  Now  of  the  things  which  we  have  spoken 
this  is  the  sum."  My  dear  young  friends, 
and  fellow-sinners,  generally,  my  heart's  de- 
sire and  prayer  to  God  is,  that  you  may  be 
saved.  But  have  you  felt  that  you  are  sin- 
ners? that  you  have  need  of  Christ  as  a  Sa- 
viour? that  you  must  die,  and  you  know  not 
how  soon?  Do  you  believe  that  faith  in  his 
blood  and  righteousness  is  essential  to  your 
acceptance  in  the  Divine  sight?  Have  you 
felt  the  importance  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  in- 
fluence, to  quicken,  to  enlighten,  to  sanctify 
you?  Have  you  prayed  for  its  bestowment, 
that  you  may  become  new  creatures  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Sa- 
viour in  all  things?  If  such  is  your  character, 
I  say  unto  you,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 
u  He  waiteth  to  be  gracious  j"  yea,  he  says, 


238  APPEALS  AND  INVITATIONS,  &C. 

"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour,  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest;"  and 
"  him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out."  But  delay  not — halt  not  between 
two  opinions  any  longer;  lest  you  should 
prove  a  stumbling-block  to  .  others,  and  be 
found  to  have  only  a  name  to  live,  whilst  you 
are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  For  this  is 
the  declaration  of  truth,  and  this  is  the  Divine 
criterion  of  our  Christianity:  "By  their  fruits 
ye  shall  know  them."  Never — never  may 
you  forget  the  solemn  duty  of  Christian  con- 
sistency— for  "  He  that  saith  he  abideth  in 
Christ,  ought  himself  also  so  to  walk,  even 
as  he  walked." 

"Little  children,  let  no  man  deceive  you: 
he  that  doeth  righteousness,  is  righteous,  even 
as  he  is  righteous."  u  Love  not  the  world, 
neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world.  If 
any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Fa- 
ther is  not  in  him."  "  Wherefore,  come  out 
from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith 
the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing; 
and  I  will  receive  you,  and  will  be  a  Father 
unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daugh- 
ters, saith  the  Lord  Almighty." 

THE  END. 


